


A Contrarian's Lunacy

by Rekoto



Series: Gensokyo's Resolve [2]
Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Action/Adventure, Danmaku (Touhou), Gen, Infiltration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 52,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26872756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rekoto/pseuds/Rekoto
Summary: Takes place after the previous work in this series, "Trip to an Outdated Hell".Following their encounters in Former Hell, Seija and Shinmyoumaru regroup and attempt to find a new goal for themselves. During this, Seija experiences self-doubt for the first time, which Shin tries to help her through. What happens from there overturns even their own expectations.Art Credit: @R_cansuke_MS on Twitter
Relationships: Kijin Seija/Sukuna Shinmyoumaru
Series: Gensokyo's Resolve [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1960489
Comments: 21
Kudos: 21





	1. tpircS eht gnippilF

Bright orange light bathes the outside of the Shining Needle Castle in dusk’s glow. Hanging off one of the many inverted eaves, using her legs to anchor herself, is a certain infamous amanojaku. She gazes off into the horizon, taciturn.

 _…  
_ _I feel… off somehow. Is it because of what happened underground…? No, I don’t think that’s it._

“Seija! You out there?” calls a voice from a nearby window.

“Huh?” mumbles Seija, pulling up with a jolt. She sees Shinmyoumaru, human-sized, leaning on the windowsill in front of her.

“There you are! It’s our first day back, why are you moping?”

“I’m not ‘moping,’ thank you,” Seija responds indignantly.

Shin grins and hops over, sitting in front of her friend. “Riiiiiiiiight, you were just _joyfully_ staring at the horizon in silence, my mistake. Though maybe you’re only showing the opposite of how you feel?”

“Aw, shut up.”

“Dang, not even a witty retort. Well Doctor Sukuna is on the case! Tell me, how do you feel?” says the inchling, leaning forward to get a better view of Seija’s embarrassed expression as the latter looks away.

“What’s with you today?” Seija asks in an attempt to deflect the topic. “You’re being weird.”

“Excuse me for attempting to cheer up my partner,” Shin says with a shrug.

_Partner…_

“I… guess I’m in a funk,” says Seija hesitantly, fiddling with her hair. “Lacking motivation.”

_Gah, can’t believe I’m saying this._

Despite Seija’s trepidation, Shin earnestly listens and says, “Did our loss in Former Hell really shake you that badly?”

“O-of course not!” Seija shouts, standing up and letting out her best fake maniacal laugh. “Who do you think you’re talking to?! I just need some inspiration is all!”

“Y’know, it’s okay to be honest with me. I realize your nature makes telling the unadulterated truth hard but know you don’t need to hide your feelings from me.”

“…”

“Wanna eat something?”

“…Sure.”

* * *

Seija slaves away in the Shining Needle Castle’s kitchen, cooking meat and vegetables while preparing the rice. “When you asked if I wanted to eat,” she says, “I thought the implication was that we’d either get food or you’d make it.”

Shin, now at her original small size, sips tea from a cup nearly as tall as her; the Miracle Mallet lays next to her. “You _said_ you’d make dinner next time we were home. I even went to get the ingredients before finding you.”

“Hmph, fair enough.”

_A momentary distraction wouldn’t hurt, anyway._

“So, wanna hear about the info I got while I was out?” says Shin, a glint in her eye.

Seija flips the food over the fire with her power. “Oh? What might that be?”

“I ran into Reisen near the human village. She was peddling her wares as usual and we chatted for a bit. She told me about a little contest the village would be holding during its next festival in two days: a dango cook-off.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“You know Seiran and Ringo?”

“Those bit-player moon rabbits you invited to help crash the fireworks festival?”

“Yeah, apparently they’re participating. They started selling their dango here after that debacle with the Moon a few years ago. Their cooking is delicious.”

“And…?” Seija trails off while dumping the rice into two bowls.

“Well my idea is twofold: gorge on delicious dango from some of the best chefs in Gensokyo, then cause a little chaos afterwards. A few other Youkai in the mix can make it more fun, too.”

“Huh. I’m not against that, but what gave you the idea? And what's your goal here?”

“Humor me and find out,” Shin says with a sly smile.

_She’s playing more coy than usual. But it sounds like it could be fun, so why not?_

The amanojaku throws the finished meat and veggies on top of the rice. “Alright, you got it. Dinner’s ready.”

After Seija brings the food to the table, the duo brainstorms their plan of attack for the cook-off while eating.

_Something this small scale is also a good idea after how high profile our previous failure was. Having Reimu or whoever else breathing down our necks is better avoided for the moment._

Seija fidgets with a necklace fashioned out of a piece of metal cut from a certain person’s sword, hidden under her usual attire.

_You’ll be getting this back one day, I swear. But it’s probably better not to worry about that for now._

“-and since we don’t have your cheating tools currently, we’ll have to be extra careful about being seen by anyone dangerous. Seija?”

“Huh? Oh, my bad, got distracted.”

“You gotta keep your head in the game,” the inchling says, tapping her head with her index finger. “We don’t wanna cause a huge scene in town or Reimu and Marisa will be on us immediately.”

“Yeah,” says Seija, doing her best to stay focused.

Shin gives her a worried look. “Are you _sure_ you’re okay? If you’d rather not do this-”

“Hey now, I’m raring to go! I promise I’ll be fine, if anything you’ll need to do your best to keep up with me!”

Despite the bravado, Seija feels her companion staring right through her.

_She’s the only person who always knows exactly what I’m feeling, which at the moment is kind of infuriating._

“Look, I wouldn’t let my partner down, alright?” Seija continues, holding up a fist with her folded index finger slightly jutting out.

After a second of consideration, Shin relents and meets Seija’s closed finger with her own tiny fist; her worried expression is replaced by a determined smile.

“I’m holding you to that, alright? And I promise the same. Now let’s get going, we’ll need a _lot_ of ingredients for this.”

* * *

“I swear we’ve stopped at a dozen stalls and still haven’t seen any sign of Seiran or Ringo,” Seija complains while picking her teeth with a leftover dango skewer.

The ill-intentioned duo wanders the streets of the human village, which is very crowded and immersed in festivities. Seija wears a kasa to hide her horns that mark her as a Youkai; Shin also has one on and made herself human size before arriving, keeping the Miracle Mallet and her still small bowl hidden in her clothes. In the days leading up to the event, they decided the best way to sneak around during the festival would be traveling among the crowd and blending in until the time is right.

“I’m sure we’ll find them eventually,” Shin responds. “At least the dango’s been tasty.”

_Eh, I’ve had better._

“Oh, Akyuu, let’s try this one!” yells an excited voice behind them.

“You need to slow down, I’m having a hard time keeping up,” says a more reserved and tired sounding voice in response.

_Akyuu?_

Seija and Shin glance backwards to see Kosuzu Motoori and Hieda no Akyuu behind them, the former leading the latter by the hand without a care in the world.

“That’s not good, those two might recognize us,” Shin says worriedly.

_If they notice us then we’re in trouble. They’ll probably go get Reimu immediately._

As they get closer, Seija flips the direction they are running in an instant. This momentarily causes the bookkeeper to pause.

“Huh? Didn’t we just come from this way?” says Kosuzu.

“Now’s our chance, let’s move!” whispers Seija to Shin.

Grabbing her partner’s hand, the amanojaku forges a path through the crowd to put some distance between them and the potentially problematic pair. Seija keeps her head down while doing so, causing her to bump into a woman in front of her.

“Oh!” exclaims the woman, turning to face Seija. “Pardon me, dearie, don’t mean to be in the- hm?”

The woman wears glasses and a large robe with a checkered scarf. Her hair is long and brown, with a leaf accessory on top of her head.

_What’s this lady’s deal? Get outta the way._

“Excuse us,” Seija says with false remorse. “Just trying to find the best dango stands before they run out.”

The bespectacled woman gives Shin a brief once-over; the smaller girl averts her eyes, using her hat to conceal her face. Her face shifts from slight surprise to contemplation until it settles on an affable smile. “I see. Well, I just came from two very good stands that are a bit further down the street. They like to compete with each other for customers so it’s a very lively time. I’m _sure_ you two will have some fun there.”

_What’s that supposed to mean?_

“Thank you very much,” Shin says with a small bow.

The increasingly mysterious woman pushes up her glasses. “No problem at all, dearie. You should hurry along.”

She lets the duo by and waves as they walk past, appearing oddly smug.

After gaining some distance, Seija asks, “Do you know her? She gave you a look.”

“I don’t recognize her, but at the same time she seemed oddly familiar,” Shin muses.

“Thanks for the informative answer. Well, she gives off a suspicious vibe, so let’s avoid her if we can.”

It takes a few more minutes of walking, but eventually the two reach dango stands with a noticeable crowd around them. Mutterings leak out from the large group of people.

“These two girls are the frontrunners in the contest, right? Aren’t they Youkai?” asks one man.

“Yeah, but they’ve been working the streets here regularly for a while so they don’t seem dangerous,” a woman next to him answers. “They constantly compete on who can sell more and their dango is heavenly. Both are making all sorts of variants to impress the judges and attract customers.”

“Well, no matter which of them take the prize, we’re the real winners!” the man says with a laugh, the woman joining him.

“Looks like we’ve found our Youkai,” says Seija, happy to have finally arrived.

Shin nods. “Let’s get to the front so we can see them.”

With a bit of shoving they force their way to the action, where a sight to behold awaits them. On their left is Seiran, her bluish dress covered by an apron while her rabbit ears jut through holes in the bandana tied to her head. Her hands are a blur as she juggles multiple batches of dango at once, quickly switching between cutting the dough, forming it into spheres, and cooking it in the pots of boiling water in front of her. Meanwhile, to their right is Ringo; her ears shoot out from under the sides of her cap and she too wears an apron over her usual orange and yellow attire. As she forms her own dango, she munches on a few of her finished pieces. With every bite her strength grows, allowing her to cut and form the dough more efficiently. Neither moon rabbit has a single wasted movement; despite their speed, everything is calculated. The crowd is awestruck at their techniques.

“This will be the day I finally beat you, Ringo!” Seiran exclaims. Her declaration inspires in the crowd an image of a fierce challenger pointing and glaring at a champion.

“You say that every time we do this but I still always manage to sell more,” Ringo taunts. Her words give the image of a smug champion looking down on her opponent. “And this contest will end the same way!”

“Whoa, look at them go,” says Shin with genuine wonder.

Seija flashes a grin. “They’re definitely in their element, not a single mistake I can see. But what audience wants a show where nothing goes wrong? Let’s shake up this performance!”

While keeping her arm lowered, she discreetly points a finger up; at that moment, Seiran’s bowls that boil the dango spill over, causing a collective gasp from the crowd.

“What?! No!” yells Seiran, distraught.

“Gettin’ nervous, Seiran? You’re gonna have to be more careful if you wanna-” Ringo is cut short when she realizes her own stand is flipping over with seemingly no impetus. She barely manages to catch it in time, but much of her dango falls to the ground.

Seiran chuckles and says, “What was that about nerves?”

“It was a freak accident! You’re still going down!”

The sudden developments only further the crowd’s engagement, the people obviously enjoying the show.

“Folks love a little chaos when it doesn’t happen to them,” says Seija.

Shin gives her partner a side eye and says, “So you wanna raise the stakes a bit? I might be able to help with that.” She flashes the Miracle Mallet between her sleeves before withdrawing from the crowd, leaving Seija alone.

_These people haven’t seen anything yet!_

About a minute later, more strange phenomena occur at both Seiran and Ringo’s stands: random tools and ingredients disappear when they look away.

“Ringo, are you doing this?! It’s low to mess with another chef’s craft!” Seiran calls out.

Ringo scoffs. “You can’t hide the fact you’re cheating from me! This will end in your loss like always, no matter what tricks you pull!”

_Shin must be using the mallet to shrink their stuff to a size almost unnoticeable. Honestly I’m amazed neither of those rabbits have figured out something else is going on yet. Maybe we should be a little less subtle!_

Seija makes another hand motion which causes all the dango sitting on their tables to shoot up in the air as she flips their relative gravity. Both rabbits stop what they are doing to look at what is happening as the crowd lets out many “oooooo”s and “awwwww”s, apparently believing it to be all part of a performance. Just as they go out of sight, Seija precisely manipulates the pieces to scatter everywhere, raining down on the audience and herself. Everyone goes to catch and feast on the delicious bounty. Even Seija snags a few to munch on.

_…Okay, I’ll admit, it’s not bad._

The two moon rabbits stand there in disbelief at the turn of events, neither left with the necessary ingredients to make any more dango.

“You, uh… didn’t do that, did you?” Ringo asks.

“No, I did not,” Seiran answers.

“Neither did I.”

“So it was someone else pranking us?”

“Probably, yeah.”

_Heh, took you two long enough._

As Seija thinks that, Shin comes back to her side looking pleased with herself. “A brilliant finale, nice job.”

“This is child’s play. I saved you some dango,” says Seija, handing over a few pieces to Shin.

“They really are the best around,” Shin observes after eating one.

“Hmph. That was fun, though. Glad to know our warm-up went off without a hitch. Now we wait for the real thing at the award ceremony.”

“Mhm! Wanna keep roaming in the meantime and see more stalls? There are plenty of games and non-dango snacks around.”

Seija shrugs but finds the idea of exploring with Shin enticing. “Sure, why not?”

* * *

The dastardly duo does decidedly non-dastardly activities in the human village while waiting for the evening’s award ceremony. One stall they happen across is home to a throwing game where anyone who can toss a sandbag into a hole five meters away gets any desert on display, which Shin becomes interested in. These include large quantities of dango, daifuku, manjū, and more.

“The sign says it only costs fifty yen a throw! This looks super easy too!” Shin exclaims.

“We didn’t bring much yen so don’t lose it all,” says Seija.

_It’s weird just hanging out with someone at a festival like this. Most of my life I didn’t have anyone to go with to events like these, and I liked it that way._

Shin throws the sandbag but comes up short by a meter.

_I still don’t get why Shin approached me again after what happened between us initially. Or rather, what changed about her._

Another throw, another miss.

_The only time I asked was when she came back and I didn’t get the clearest answer._

Determined, Shin gives it a third try, but that determination causes her to give the throw too much force and it appears as though the sandbag will overshoot. Yet suddenly, its momentum almost appears to reverse and it lands in the hole. The runner of the stall blinks in surprise but finds the bag in the goal, declaring Shin a winner.

“Yes! Seija, I did it!” she cheers.

Seija cannot help but smile as she stretches her arms over her head. “Yeah, looks like you did.”

_But maybe this isn’t so bad._

They happily share the platter of manjū Shin chose for her prize as they continue down the street. Eventually they take a break at a bench on a narrow path between buildings, out of sight from the main road.

“Are you having a good time?” asks Shin, licking her fingers clean of the last pieces of desert.

“More than I expected to,” Seija admits. “I thought the only fun parts would be messing up the festival.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Hm, I suppose that means everything’s going according to your plan?”

“And what exactly are you implying?”

“I’m not blind. I can tell the reason you suggested this wasn’t just for messing with the festival. Acting secretive about your motives before, making sure I’m having fun, this was all a set-up. You want to cheer me up.”

“Hey, can’t have a layabout partner who spends all day staring into the sky.”

“...Thanks, Shin.”

“Oh?” the inchling feigns a gasp of surprise. “The friendless amanojaku Seija Kijin offering thanks? The contrarian who would never be caught enjoying frivolous gatherings like these? Have you overturned even yourself?”

Seija forces down an embarrassed smile.

_Heh, idiot. It’s not the gathering I’m enjoying._

“Don’t get too comfy, I’m not about to get all cushy at a human festival. We’re still rocking this place later!”

“Now there’s the Seija I know!” Shin puffs out her chest, obviously pleased with herself.

While the partners in crime bask in the moment, neither hear the distinct sound of a danmaku bullet whizzing by until it goes right past their heads.

“What the-” Seija cuts herself off when she turns to see Seiran and Ringo standing four meters away, the former holding a giant wooden mallet and the latter cracking her knuckles while chewing on dango.

“Fancy meeting you two here,” says Ringo, barely hiding her anger.

“I suppose it makes sense that the ones who’d crash a fireworks festival wouldn’t value the sanctity of a dango festival,” Seiran says with utmost seriousness.

The pure fury emanating from the moon rabbits is enough to make Seija recoil slightly.

_What the hell is this aura?!_

“Why are you two so angry?” Shin asks, feigning ignorance.

“What happened earlier at our stands made no sense,” says the blue rabbit. “The villagers might have been fooled, but Ringo and I have been at this long enough to know neither of us were responsible. But that left the question of who.”

“Luckily we got a tip you two were in town and it all made sense,” the orange rabbit continues. “Now we might have been complicit in what happened the night of the fireworks festival, but messin’ with our sales and craft crosses the line.”

The dango chefs get into fighting stances. Shin gives Seija a look that suggests they should do the same.

_We’ll have to figure out who caught us later. But while I fully believe we can beat these bunnies, we can’t cause a ruckus before the intended time. Let’s make this quick._

The inchling and amanojaku stand shoulder to shoulder, prepared to attack. For a brief moment, the two teams stare each other down on the path devoid of humans. A quiet breeze passes by. Seiran sprints forward, mallet at the ready, with Ringo right behind.

_A telegraphed frontal assault seems too basic even for them, given their history in the Lunarian military. From what I know of Seiran’s ability, that means…!_

Without exchanging a word, Shin gives Seija a nod before the latter flips their position with the bullets that silently appeared behind them. Seiran’s bullets from a different dimension shoot towards their owner, who immediately drops prone to avoid them. Ringo does not react fast enough and takes many direct hits, though her dango-boosted strength lets her continue her charge.

“Ow! Seiran, watch where you’re shooting those!” Ringo complains.

“Not my fault your reflexes are slow!” Seiran retorts.

_One’s fast and one’s strong which could make them a good team, but the fools are too caught up in themselves and don’t have good coordination. Seiran reacted quickly enough to potentially help Ringo get down in time but didn’t. Combined with how angry they are, they probably aren’t entirely rational._

“Charging in with an empty head like that, can you believe this girl, Seiran?” says Seija, easily dodging Ringo’s charge alongside Shin. “A partner like that can’t be pleasant.”

“I never said-”

Seija cuts off Seiran, “Though you didn’t even help her dodge, so maybe you never cared about her to begin with?”

“What?!” yells Ringo.

“She’s trying to pit us against each other, don’t fall for it!” says Seiran.

The blue rabbit brings her mallet to bear on Shin and charges, using her danmaku as covering fire; Ringo comes up alongside her.

_Another charge? There must be more to this. They’re moving too slowly for it to be any threat._

As if in response to Seija’s thought, Ringo grabs Seiran and begins spinning extremely fast. Before being let loose, Seiran summons more bullets between Seija and Shin, forcing them to split up to dodge. The moment their adversaries are off balance, Ringo lets go, sending a dangerous spinning mallet attack in Shin’s direction.

_What kinda nonsense is this? I’ll just reverse her momen-_

The idea is interrupted by Ringo, who closes in while Seija is momentarily distracted, throwing a punch that the amanojaku narrowly dodges. Seija counters by flipping Ringo upside down and pelting her with a few more bullets, thoroughly discombobulating the rabbit.

“I remember hearing a while back that you Lunarian military types were trained where ‘not even a single hit was allowed,’ but you certainly don’t have much to show for it. Even with the element of surprise, you’re way too slow,” says Seija, partially bluffing. “You’ll have to do much better than that.”

_That punch had enough force to send me flying. She’s quicker than I gave her credit for. But if they think we’re easily countering them, that’ll make them hastier and more desperate._

As this exchange occurs, Seiran reaches her target, though Shin seems largely unconcerned. The inchling calmly retreats into her now large bowl and, at the last second, uses the Miracle Mallet to shrink Seiran’s mallet. Shin covers her head with the bowl top and Seiran’s attack plinks off harmlessly.

“You can do that?” Seiran asks, incredulous.

“It takes a lot of concentration and the effect isn’t permanent, plus items and weapons with their own powerful magic take even longer to the point of it not being practical in a fight,” Shin explains.

“Why are you telling me all this?”  
  
“Simple: you two never stood a chance, so this knowledge won’t help you.”

Seiran is at a loss for words but her irritation is evident.

_Nice, Shin! Just a little more fuel to the fire and…!_

“At first I thought you two might be dangerous given how furious you were,” Seija interjects, moving next to Shin. “Yet this is all you’ve got. I didn’t even need to help Shin stop that combo attack. Your teamwork is pretty basic.”

“Grr…” Ringo growls.

“Awww, is the wittle owange wabbit angwy?” Seija jeers.

“Gah, that’s it! I’m taking you down right now!”

“Oh, you’re gonna fight me one-on-one again?” Seija winks at Shin, who shrinks herself and moves away, before continuing, “Bring it! Maybe you’ll actually do something this time!”

“Wait, Ringo, stop!” Seiran calls out.

Her warning falls on deaf ears as Ringo, seeing red, charges Seija again, the latter simply floating there with a smug grin. Just as it appears Ringo will reach her target, Shin quickly makes herself large again and smashes the charging rabbit with the Miracle Mallet, who hits a nearby building with a thud. She falls to the ground unconscious, Seiran managing to catch her.

“Hahahaha!” Seija bursts out laughing, clutching her sides. “She _really_ fell for the ‘one-on-one’ trick? C’mon, you’re making this too easy!”

After setting Ringo down, Seiran says, “That was risky, half a second off and Ringo would have either averted at the last second or done major damage to you.”

“Partners trust each other!” Shin proclaims proudly. “You two need some work.”

_I didn’t doubt for a second that Shin would follow through._

Seiran lets out a sigh. “I concede, a well-trained Lunarian recognizes when they’ve lost. I’ll take Ringo back to her stall to rest, but know that we won’t forget what happened today.”

With that parting statement, Seiran runs away with Ringo slumped over her shoulder.

“I’m annoyed she escaped before we could find out who told them about us, but luckily we handled that quickly enough to not draw attention,” says Seija.

“Yeah,” Shin agrees. “Though this might affect our plans for the award ceremony. Seiran and Ringo were the obvious favorites to win, but with them out of the picture early we might be messing with a different winner.”

“All the other entrants are humans, right? If anything this makes our job easier. Not like the winner could be any more dangerous than those two losers.”

* * *

“Hohoho, I’m so flattered by your praise,” says a familiar bespectacled woman, the back of her left hand under her chin as she motions with her right.

A small crowd gathers in front of a stall as three judges are about to declare the woman that Seija and Shin bumped into earlier the winner of the festival’s contest. The judging board includes Hieda no Akyuu, Keine Kamishirasawa, and Rinnosuke Morichika. Keine is holding a wooden plaque meant for the winner.

“I get Akyuu and Keine being judges due to their respected positions in the village, but why Rinnosuke?” Seija asks Shin as they blend into the crowd.

“Beats me,” the inchling responds. “Though none of the judges seem overly thrilled about the prospect of that woman winning.”

As Shin says, the three judges appear less than enthused. Akyuu looks downright annoyed, a rare sight to most. Meanwhile Keine wears a nervous smile and Rinnosuke’s tired expression indicates he does not want to be there.

_That old lady’s the one who told us where the rabbits’ stalls were. Didn’t realize she was a contestant herself._

“Where have I seen her before…?” Shin trails off.

“This was bothering you earlier, too,” says Seija. “You good to go or do you wanna abort?”

“No, it’s fine. Let’s do this.”

The duo turns to exit the crowd when they hear a voice call out, “You two girls in the hats, would you like to try some soon-to-be award-winning dango?”

All eyes turn towards Seija and Shin, both standing stiff in response to the sudden attention. They turn around sheepishly to see the brown-haired woman beckoning them to come to the stall.

_Shoot! Why did she single us out? If we get too close then Akyuu will definitely recognize us, potentially the other two as well. And if Akyuu’s here then Kosuzu’s likely close by. This lady’s up to something._

“Uh, sorry, we have to be somewhere soon and it wouldn’t be right for us to eat before everyone else,” says Shin in a hurried voice.

“Not to worry, dearie, I just wanted to do this as an apology for bumping into you earlier,” the woman responds without missing a beat. “Won’t take a minute.”

_Insistent old hag. What to do?_

Seija quickly scans her surroundings. Only lines of buildings surrounding a long path on a cool autumn day. The crowd of people stand around them with occasional passersby joining in, currently around seventy people. Clear skies above that slowly turn orange as the evening progresses with a few scattered clouds. In all respects, it is a very nice day with nothing that can serve as a natural distraction.

_It’ll be obvious I’m a Youkai if I create a chaotic phenomenon when everything’s calm like this. We can’t afford being outed right now. Ugh._

“Uh, sorry for the delay, you see my friend is very shy in front of crowds,” says Seija, breaking the deafening silence. “If it’s alright, can she stay back while I come up?”

The woman narrows her eyes the slightest bit before saying, “Alright, that’s fine.”

Giving her partner an affirming nod, Seija slowly walks up as the crowd parts for her. She tilts her hat to cover her face from the judges.

_I got the focus off you, Shin, so I really need you to pull out some trick right now!_

The nervous amanojaku reaches the stall, still looking down.

“Dearie, no need to be bashful, why not take off that hat so everyone can see how much you enjoy my dango?” says the woman, seemingly enjoying Seija squirm. “Here, have some- YOWCH!”

She grabs her foot and rubs it, a small mark on the side as if she had been lightly poked by a sharp weapon or tool. In response to the pain, something strange happens. While the confused crowd cannot see the woman’s lower body behind the stall, Seija has a full view of it; around her legs a small mist-like essence appears and, for the briefest of moments, Seija catches a glimpse of a giant striped brown tail.

_That tail, she’s a bake-danuki! And taking into account these mannerisms, she must be-_

A devilish grin forms on Seija’s face. Leaning in, she whispers, “Mamizou Futatsuiwa, I’ll be glad to reveal who I am to this excitable crowd if you do first. I can promise you won’t have a choice if you continue this farce.”

Mamizou, while maintaining her smile for the crowd, squints at the Youkai in front of her. “You finally caught on, congratulations. I knew you were up to something by coming up alone, but I didn’t think Shinmyoumaru would try something so base as to prod my foot with that needle of hers.”

_Good ol’ Shin._

“So I take it you tipped off the rabbits about us?”

“A good way of dealing with problems is to pit them against each other. It’s no good to have you two running around here, but I can use you to get rid of competition. I was hoping they’d drive you off afterwards, though.”

“I almost respect you for coming up with something that devious, though you clearly underestimated us.”

“Seems we’ve hit a bit of a stalemate, dearie. How about I let you go and we call it even?”

“Heh,” Seija chuckles, “I don’t think you have enough leverage to say something like that, _dearie_.”

Before Mamizou can ask what Seija means, a nearby Akyuu says, “Um, excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt but we need to move on with the festivities.”

“I’m terribly sorry,” Seija lies while bowing. “I’ll be going now.”

Without giving anyone a chance to stop her, she swiftly walks off and retreats to an alleyway down the street, out of the crowd’s sight. Shin soon follows, still small to remain hidden.

“Quick thinking back there, nice job,” says Seija.

“You too, splitting us up was a good play,” Shin responds. “Now onto the main event.”

The duo flies up and peeks over the building to see Akyuu handing Mamizou the award, the latter still appearing distracted by her previous encounter.

“You got the ball of dango?” Shin asks.

“Right here,” says Seija, pulling from her hidden pocket dango the size of her hand. It has a fuse sticking out. Using a match she kept in the same pocket, Seija lights it and says, “On three.”

_The Miracle Mallet can hypothetically do nearly anything, but it has limited energy reserves. Should it run out, then Shin is stuck being small and can’t do as much for a while. And that’s not even taking into account costs for any non-size altering wish she makes on it._

“One…”

_Barring herself and her personal effects like the needle and bowl, making something bigger than what it should be uses a lot of that energy; as opposed to making an object smaller which uses much less. Plus releasing too much energy causes tsukumogami to pop up._

“Two…”

_So by taking something big and making it small, she can return it to its original size later with minimal effort and risk._

“Three!”

Seija lobs the dango directly over the crowd. In response, Shin pulls out the Miracle Mallet and waves it, causing the foodstuff to grow to eleven meters in diameter. The suddenly huge shadow overhead causes the crowd to see what is hurtling towards them, throwing everyone into a panic as they flee. However, many of them cannot get out of the way in time.

_Can’t have anyone getting hurt lest we fear Reimu’s wrath. Soooooooooooooo…_

Before it makes contact with any villagers, Seija reverses the dango bomb's relative gravity which causes it to rocket up.

“Oh, this is like the trick those other dango salesgirls did earlier! It’s amazing!” a female villager, one that was at Seiran and Ringo’s stalls before, says to Mamizou.

“Uh, yes, of course!” the bake-danuki lies. “I launched it earlier while everyone was looking away. Apologies for the scare, seems the expansion was a bit bigger than anticipated.”

Able to hear the false gloating from the nearby rooftop, Shin says, “Dang, can’t fault her for being good at turning situations towards her favor.”

“I’m almost tempted to let it fall on her,” muses Seija, “but her saying that is about to backfire much more. Any second now.”

Right on cue, the fuse Seija lit reaches the center of the dango and an explosion erupts above the village. It is neither very bright nor very large, but more than powerful enough given its height to easily scatter the dango to a major portion of the human village. So many pieces come down that it briefly sounds like a light rainfall.

“Wow, this is quite impressive,” says Rinnosuke, standing up after initially taking shelter beneath a table he is conveniently near. “After the quality of your earlier dango, I’m sure this will be good.” He puts a piece he caught into his mouth and instantly his eyes go wide. “Eurrgh…”

Many others in the area similarly gag after trying one of the fallen pieces. Eventually the judges and crowd all turn to Mamizou with an incredulous look, the trickster sweating buckets.

“O-oh, so terribly sorry, I guess that was a bad batch, hoho… ho…” she trails off.

Akyuu marches over to Mamizou, a fierce look in her eyes. “Your little stunt, while interesting on a technical level, scared everyone here half to death. And now we have who knows how much dango littered throughout the village that we will have to clean up, and it doesn’t even taste good. Your award is revoked, we will find someone else to give it to. To be honest, I’m glad it’s not you.”

“B-but!”

Mamizou’s protests are promptly ignored as Akyuu snatches the wooden plaque off the stand and walks away, the other two judges following suit. Kosuzu emerges from the crowd to go with Akyuu.

“The way you told her off was so cool!” says the bookkeeper.

Akyuu subtly puffs out her chest and says, “Well I have my pride and I will not tolerate someone inconveniencing the village.”

“We’ll have our hands full cleaning all this up,” says Keine.

“I might have something at my shop that can help. You see, it’s called a ‘vac-uum’ and…” Rinnosuke rambles on.

Soon the rest of the disgusted crowd disperses as well. The bake-danuki balls her fists and struts off.

_That much vitriol from Akyuu must mean she knows who Mamizou really is; the other judges likely do as well._

“That went even better than expected!” Shin cheers.

Seija nods. “That old lady was dumb to think she could use us like that.”

“Oho, this ‘old lady’ is rather peeved at you two,” says a furious voice behind them.

Turning around, the duo sees Mamizou, having dropped her disguise, standing tall with her arms crossed.

_She found us and got up here that fast?_

“I must know, before I forcibly remove you from this village,” growls the trickster, “how you knew I’d lie and take credit for your stunt initially.”

“We never meant for you to,” says Seija.

“What?”

“I overturn things, it’s what I do. Seeing all these people having fun without a care in the world is disgusting. Shin and I figured that a good way of flipping the script on this festival would be to scatter sour tasting dango everywhere.”

“And,” Shin chimes in, “doing it during the award ceremony is a good way to cap it all off.”

Seija continues, “Originally we meant for Ringo or possibly Seiran to be the one accepting the award while we did this, which might even cause one to assume the other is responsible given our prior messing with them earlier today, though we didn’t care too much if that happened or not. In other words, we were fully prepared to run so the firework wouldn’t be pinned to us in the inevitable investigation.”

Realization slowly dawns on Mamizou. “So my interference just made things easier for you.”

“Bingo! Singling us out earlier nearly threw everything off, but all it accomplished was making your self-destruction all the more satisfying to watch. Claiming credit for our dango firework was the best part since now we have complete deniability. I guess you can’t resist an opportunity to make yourself look better.”

“There’s nothing stopping me from telling Akyuu and the others the truth about what happened,” Mamizou counters. “They know of you and would likely believe me, which could also get you in trouble with Reimu.”

“Sure, if you don’t mind me spreading the rumor in the village that the sweet brown-haired old lady with spectacles is actually a Youkai. And yeah, maybe you could just transform into a different appearance for your forays here, but all your credibility would be washed away and you’d have to start over. Plus it’d give tanukis a bad name. I know you Youkai leader types like to extend your influence in the village, that’s probably why you wanted to win this contest to start with; Aya and her newspaper are the same way.” Seija leisurely paces over to the obviously perturbed Mamizou. “Maybe after you won, you intended to have some of your ilk start a shop that you were the manager of, with tanukis as a mascot. Slowly sway public opinion of tanukis among humans as something to be trusted.”

“That imagination of yours is running a little too wild, dearie,” the bake-danuki says through gritted teeth. “Though obviously you’ve been paying attention to our little society in spite of how much you claim to hate it.”

“Knowing your enemy is the best way to subvert it.”

“You’re correct that I like to incite a bit of sympathy for my kind in the village from time to time, and I suppose I can’t have you destroying that reputation.”

“Like she said, we just wanted to cause a little chaos and flip people’s expectations at the last second,” says Shin. “Everything that went wrong for you today is your own fault. I highly doubt you would have cared about what we did had it not been you down there. You were presumptuous to try and use us and got your retribution for ratting us out to the rabbits.”

“Hmph,” Mamizou grunts as she pushes up her glasses. “As much as I’d love to teach you two upstarts a lesson, I cannot deny the truth of your words. I let my overconfidence get the better of me this time. But know this, you’re talking to the perennial trickster. You’re a few hundred years too young to think you’ll get this lucky a second time.”

_Don’t know how she can say stuff like that and still act insulted when called old._

“It certainly isn’t hard when you do all the work for us,” says Seija with the smuggest smile imaginable.

“You can savor your little victory, but I recommend you leave the village before someone with less restraint finds you.”

“We were about to leave this boring pit anyway. C’mon, Shin.”

“Coming!” the inchling responds.

Once they have flown out of earshot, Mamizou muses aloud, “They’re brats, but I can’t help admiring their gumption. They better be careful about who they cross, though.”

* * *

Back at the Shining Needle Castle, Seija and Shin hold a toast to a job well done.

“The show with the dango, our fight with the rabbits, the explosion, it all went beautifully!” Shin exclaims. “It makes all the ingredients and time we spent making that gigantic dango bomb worth it. And the way you adapted to and undermined all of Mamizou’s threats was awesome!”

Seija sips her drink. “You don’t become the most wanted Youkai in Gensokyo by being stupid, I know the politics. Every major player wants a piece of that village.”

“You mean stuff like the religious wars?”

“Yeah, but not just that. The human village is the center of a very delicate balance of power. Youkai _need_ it to exist so _they_ can exist, but they also want to control it.”

“You’re right, though as long as people like Reimu and Marisa are around, none of them can do too much.”

“Yukari, too. That hag is always scheming one way or the other to preserve Gensokyo’s well-being or whatever. Makes messing with the place like we do all the harder. Almost wish we could try overturning somewhere else…”

“Well we kind of tried that with Former Hell, though it backfired horribly.”

“Former Hell is still part of Gensokyo, is the thing. So the influence exerted by Youkai like Yukari remains.”

Shin takes a large swig from her cup. “Honestly surprises me that she’s so willing to let Youkai like Mamizou and the moon rabbits run around since they’re not from Gensokyo initially.”

“Well Mamizou seems to be on Reimu’s side whenever she isn’t pushing tanuki propaganda while the moon rabbits are mostly harmless. Though I’ve heard stories about how dangerous some Lunarians can be.”

_Can’t be any worse than some of the things I’ve had to deal with here, though. Plus no Reimu or Yukari to worry about…_

“Seija? Something on your mind?”

The question snaps Seija back to reality. “Oh, just thinking, don’t worry about it. And… thanks again, Shin. Today was better than I expected.”

“You gotta admit, my plans can be pretty fun, huh?” says the inchling, smiling ear to ear.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get too big a head. I’ll say that between this and the fireworks festival, you’ve got quite the devious little brain.”

“Well it’s a two-Youkai job, your quick thinking saved us a lot today.”

“It helps having a partner you can trust,” Seija says with a soft expression, surprising Shin.

“Aww, Seijaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

“Whoa!”

The half-drunk Shin rushes over to give the amanojaku a huge hug, knocking them both to the ground.

“Agh, get off me!” yells Seija in protest.

Shin sits up and says, “But I thought we were having a moment.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“...Fair point.”

There are a few seconds of silence while they sit there before both burst out laughing at the absurd situation.

_Maybe some things can change._

The jovial pair make merry well into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to @R_cansuke_MS on Twitter for accepting my commission of the art you see above (main key art added to this chapter December 3rd, 2020, bonus drawing added February 15th, 2021). Consider commissioning them via Skeb: https://skeb.jp/@R_cansuke_MS
> 
> After a longer than intended hiatus, it's time to finally post the first chapter of a work that I believe will be my longest thus far. I'm really excited to begin sharing this and to have a story written from Seija's perspective. This opening chapter serves to show what Seija and Shin do immediately following the end of their punishment as described in the epilogue of "A Trip to an Outdated Hell". While I recognize that having this story take place in continuity with that one might alienate new readers somewhat, there are ideas there I would like to continue and feel it's the best way of making the story with Seija and Shin that I want. That said, I will try and make this story as standalone as possible for the most part and intend to make it enjoyable for anyone who chooses to read this first. To delve into this chapter a bit more, it's the longest single chapter I've published, already making this story nearly a fourth the length of its predecessor. I didn't mean for that to happen, but I really got into the flow with this one. The character depictions were fun to write as always. Seiran and Ringo, as to be expected of early bosses, don't have a huge amount of material to work with but I like the dynamic I went with. A large inspiration was their illustration and article from "Alternative Facts in Eastern Utopia", which I recommend giving a read if you haven't. While not prevalent enough for me to add them to the tags, the three judges Akyuu, Keine, and Rinnosuke got to cameo along with Kosuzu. Why was Rinnosuke a judge you might ask? That's another of Gensokyo's great mysteries. Mamizou appears for the first time in my writing since "New Daily Life" and this time I got to show the more conniving and antagonistic side of her. Seija and Shin didn't mean to get her wrapped in everything, which I thought was a fun twist; Mamizou basically played herself, with the main duo adapting and working that towards their advantage. Said duo themselves are of course the stars of the show, though I'll hold off on going too deep into what I intend for them presently. Hopefully this beginning was entertaining and inspires you to continue reading. As always, any comments and feedback are immensely welcomed. Thank you very much for your time and have a good day/night.
> 
> Glossary:  
> Dango - A Japanese dumpling made from mochiko (rice flour). There are many different varieties.  
> Kasa - An umbrella term for various kinds of Japanese hats, including amigasa and jingasa. They can be made of straw (which is what Seija and Shin are wearing), wood, and other materials. I wasn't confident in my ability to use the more specific terms accurately so I kept it at a simple baseline.  
> Daifuku - A Japanese confection made of mochi (rice cake) stuffed with some kind of sweet filling (traditionally anko, a red bean paste made from azuki beans).  
> Manjū - Another traditional Japanese confection. It comes in many varieties and flavors but usual ingredients include flour, rice powder, buckwheat, anko, and kudzu (known in Japan as kuzu with the starch it produces being called kuzuko, which is what is often used in manjū and other dishes).


	2. daeH ruoY esoL t'noD

Two days after their escapades at the dango festival, Seija and Shinmyoumaru aimlessly wander the woods that lie somewhere between the human village and the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The temperature is pleasant, not too cold as winter is still nearly two months away. The trees’ leaves are beautiful shades of orange, brown, and red, some beginning to fall. Just enough have come down that scattered sunlight pierces the treetops, creating many bright and dark spots on the surroundings.

Shin, human size, stretches her arms over her head and says, “It feels good to get out and walk around. Home’s huge but a change of scenery is good every once in a while.”

“It’s not like we were cooped up for a long time, y’know,” says Seija, resting her hands behind her head.

“True, but the last time we went on a walk like this was before all that Former Hell business.”

“Fair enough.”

_I have to remember that she isn’t quite like me, I’m perfectly satisfied not moving around or going near anyone for long stretches of time. But she lived on her own in that castle for a good while before I ever met her… For someone who isn’t an amanojaku, I can imagine that got lonely._

The two’s idle chatter soon turns to brainstorming their next plan, something they have yet to decide on.

“-no, making a mess of Kourindou might be too risky with how often Reimu and Marisa stop by,” Seija says with a sigh. “Plus it doesn’t serve a greater goal very well, I don’t wanna exclusively do small jobs. Our mission is to overturn Gensokyo itself.”

Shin nods as she places a hand on her chin. “Fair point. The dango festival was more us getting our groove back, but now we need to think bigger. Although, if we cause a full blown incident for the third time, we’ll have to be ready for the consequences.”

“That’s never stopped me before,” Seija says adamantly. “But, while I hate to say it, we have too many strong enemies in Gensokyo for only the two of us to handle, especially without my cheating tools. We can be as discreet as possible but the moment someone catches wind of us we'll instantly have some human or half-phantom or whatever else on our backs.” The frustrated amanojaku runs a hand through her messy hair and scratches her head.

“So you’re saying our only option is gathering allies? I fear your reputation will make that difficult.”

“I like it that way! …But you’re right. Even if we come up with a large-scale plan of attack, it’ll be hard to convince any Youkai to help us.”

“Hm, we can try stealing your tools back.”

“Sure, if we can locate and get the drop on Yukari, which is easier said than done. Not to mention that’d immediately alert her to the fact we’re up to something.”

_But those things would up our chances of success immensely…_

The two stand with their arms crossed and eyes closed, thinking. After a few moments, they hear a rustle in the bushes to their right.

“Who’s there?” Seija calls out, getting into a defensive stance. There is no response.

Shin puts a hand on her partner’s shoulder. “Calm down, it was probably a rabbit or squirrel.”

“What are you-” Seija stops speaking when she turns to face Shin and sees the inchling putting a finger over her mouth. “Yeah, my mistake. Let’s move on.”

_I see what she’s doing._

Both begin walking away from the bushes and continue conversing as normal. But the moment they hear the faintest noise behind them, Seija rapidly flips the perception of anything that could be within twenty meters of her, barring Shin, to discombobulate any potential aggressors. Following this, both shoot a dozen bullets at the source of the sound.

“AGH!” yells a voice nearby.

The duo quickly splits up and advances on either flank of the voice, converging at its origin. They find someone’s head sticking out of the bushes, still dazed. This person is a girl with red hair and eyes, a blue bow on the back of her head.

Seija looks at her confused, not expecting this to be the stalker. “You’re, what was it… Sekibanki! Come here, you’re gonna tell us why-” As she goes to drag Sekibanki out of the bush, all that comes out is her head. “Whoa!”

Shin’s eyes go wide. “Oh no, did we- wait, I forgot, she’s a rokurokubi. Her head comes off and she can spawn multiple copies of it.”

“Is, uh, the rest of her in the bush? Or is this one of the copies?” Seija asks while holding out the head by the hair.

“I don’t see a body in here, so it’s probably safe to assume that’s a copy you’ve got.”

“But how did a head without a body scream? I’m no doctor but I thought that was an important component. Or does her species have some kind of magical workaround?”

“Don’t know. She was apparently one of the Youkai affected by the Miracle Mallet back when that incident happened but we didn’t really meet until the fireworks festival. Even then, all she showed off was the weird long neck thing.”

“Hmm, she was also among the hoard that tried to capture me while I was on the run. I saw her do some weird multiple head stuff, but she didn’t speak. If anything she seemed pretty taciturn.”

While its captor is speaking, the disembodied head takes the opportunity to free itself from Seija’s grasp and ram into the amanojaku’s face before fleeing.

“Ow!” Seija yelps, rubbing her nose. After recovering, she looks around and says, “Dang it, I don’t see her anywhere.”

“Neither do I,” says Shin. “Why was she watching us?”

“Let’s find out, she couldn’t have gotten far.”

They fan out and quickly scan their environment as they fly around, being careful not to lose sight of each other. The leaves might have already begun falling, but the forest they are in is still very thick; it is hard for them to see too far in any direction. However, they are able to occasionally hear rustling ahead, which they follow. While Seija weaves between the trees, she encounters an especially dense set of woods she must force her way through.

_Ugh, I love dealing with branches._

She covers her face with her arms and begins pushing through, gaining a few scratches for her trouble. Right when she is about to get out, she bumps into something that does not feel like a branch.

_Huh?_

“Flying Neck - Extreme Long Neck,” says a familiar voice some meters away. The dubious object Seija ran into begins elongating further and wraps around her multiple times before she can react, restraining her.

“What the- Shin!” Seija calls out. “It’s an ambush! Sekibanki has me in her neck!”

From the other side of the trees, Shin’s voice shouts, “Got it, I’ll get you out!”

“No you won’t,” the voice from before says. The absurdly long neck holding Seija ascends over the forest, revealing Sekibanki’s head on one end. Her body is still unaccounted for. The entire top of the forest is visible in all its vibrant colors. About four hundred meters away in the direction Seija faces is the Misty Lake, its water glistening under the sun. Even further past that is the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Soon Shin also rises above the trees and, armored by her bowl, holds both the Miracle Mallet and her needle at the ready.

“Let her go, Sekibanki!” Shin commands.

The rokurokubi’s voice, which is not coming from the head attached to the exceedingly long neck, responds, “You’re in no position to be making demands, inchling.”

_What’s this girl’s game? Everything about this reeks of a premeditated ambush._

“Why are you… doing this?” asks Seija, her voice strained due to Sekibanki’s tight hold.

“You seem to forget that I live in the village, so I was in the splash zone of your stunt a few days ago. Mamizou took the fall but after some digging and a talk with the moon rabbits it wasn’t hard to figure out you two were behind it.”

“You’re this… mad at us… for raining some… dango on people?”

“I don’t care about that. What I _do_ care about is what you two becoming active again means. Your nonsense with the ‘revolution’ and using the Miracle Mallet had an adverse effect on me and others. The fireworks festival was my first indication you two weren’t through yet, but that was also your only move for a while so I hoped that would be the end of it. But then, some months ago, rumors leaked about trouble brewing underground that you two were tangled up in.”

“And our most recent excursion was the last straw?” Shin asks.

“Yes. You two were caught and punished in Former Hell yet almost immediately continued your nonsensical plans the moment you were cut loose. Make no mistake: I care little for humans and most other Youkai, but I’m not gonna sit by and be swept up in whatever it is you’re trying to do again.”

“Hmph,” Seija grunts, “I recall you having fun… at the fireworks festival… after Shin and I shook it up. Maybe you… enjoy cutting loose… more than you let on?”

Sekibanki further tightens her neck’s grip, causing Seija to wince. “You really need to learn when to stop speaking.”

_She’s very no-nonsense, huh? Great. I can barely move a muscle now._

Shin continues her questioning. “Why tell us all this?”

“I guess you aren’t quite as wary as Seija after all if you still don’t know a distraction when you see one,” Sekibanki answers. Another head with a ludicrously lengthy neck shoots out of the forest, however Shin dodges with grace and forces it back with bullets of her own. She finishes it off with a slam on the head using her Miracle Mallet.

_That was too telegraphed, I don’t think someone as seemingly level headed as Sekibanki would do something so obvious. But that means-!_

Seija attempts to shout a warning but cannot physically get the words out with the neck still so firmly encasing her.

“If that’s your idea of a surprise attack, maybe next time don’t warn-” Shin’s taunt is cut off as a previously unseen and near silent figure jumps from a tree top and pounces on her, sending both hurtling into the woods. Seija catches a flash of red, white, and brown but is unable to make out any details.

_Shin!_

Mustering every last ounce of strength in her body, Seija pushes against the neck with all her might and gets the slightest wiggle room to catch her breath, move her limbs, and yell, “Reverse Sign - Overturning All Under Heaven!"

The world appears to flip upside down as danmaku spawn from all sides to pelt the neck into submission, freeing Seija at last. With the sky below her, she flies up into the forest to see Shin, who has a few cuts and bruises on her after being tackled through the thicket. Seija grits her teeth at the sight.

_If she’s hurt-!_

The inchling is struggling to escape the grip of a Youkai with brown hair, wolf ears, and hands with long red nails; her dress is half red and half white, the border between them curved, with a black trim and a red amulet at the chest. Shin’s bowl, still intact, lays nearby next to her dropped needle and mallet.

“W-what’s going on?” asks the Youkai, confused by her flipped perception. However, that is not the only thing disturbing her. “Is Seija doing this? But this aggressive intent I feel doesn’t-”

Not giving her a chance, Seija unleashes a viscous flurry of bullets that knocks the wolf-like Youkai to the ground above and proceeds to immediately check on Shin.

“You okay?” Seija asks, her tone betraying her worry.

“A little banged up but nothing that won’t be gone in a day or two. Thanks,” says Shin. 

_That wolf is lucky._

“I need to get my weapons back.”

“I won’t allow it!” shouts Sekibanki, whose body and attached head make their first appearance as she rushes to collect Shin’s possessions, even the bowl. “Kagerou, let’s retreat to the Misty Lake!”

“Alright!” the other Youkai responds. Though slowed by Seija’s spell card, they manage to keep moving.

Shin turns to Seija and yells, “We have to stop them!”

“One second,” says Seija, ending her spell card. “Sekibanki has been manipulating us since before we started fighting. I bet she knows that she loses a straight fight even with help, which is why she set the ambush and tricked you with that Kagerou stunt.”

“Yeah, but we can’t let them escape with the Miracle Mallet!”

“We won’t let her, but I can recognize when every last word someone says is meant to manipulate. She could have just run away with Kagerou and we’d have a harder time finding them, but she specified they were retreating to the lake. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“It’s another trap."

“Exactly. Sekibanki already has Kagerou helping her. So let’s rack our brains for a second: who else would side with them?”

After a moment of thinking, Shin says, “I believe Kagerou was also a Youkai affected by the Miracle Mallet back then, though I’ve never had any real personal interaction with her. It’s likely that anyone else helping them would fall under the same umbrella. And if this Youkai lives at Misty Lake… got it! It must be Wakasagihime, the mermaid. She and I won a white-water rafting championship once!”

That last statement takes a moment for Seija to process. “Uh, you can tell me the rest of that story later.” From there, they form their plan of attack. Once done, Seija indulges in an evil grin. 

_Let’s flip these fools’ surprise and ‘enlighten’ them as to what a mistake they’ve made by targeting us._

* * *

The sun is directly overhead when Seija and Shin arrive at Misty Lake. They tread carefully, waiting for a potential assault from any side. The shore of the lake is only five or so meters away.

_Shin’s at least still big, but without her weapons she’s handicapped; that said she can still use danmaku so she’s not helpless. If Sekibanki is in league with the mermaid, either Shin or me getting knocked into the water is a potential lose condition for us. Their main advantages are numbers and surprise, but both are delicate and easily overturned if we can get even one opportunity._

With no warning, danmaku bullets emerge from two parts of the forest; one where Seija and Shin are, the other a bit to their left. The duo dodges to the right.

_That was no miss, they’re funneling us somewhere. Sekibanki has been very careful this whole time, attacking without warning and attempting to catch us unaware. No doubt she’s the ringleader behind this whole alliance._

Another wave of bullets shoots out of the bushes, forcing them right even further. When they try to fly up to avoid, a second salvo from the treetops keeps them close to the ground. The terrain as they move has less and less land between the forest and water.

_So that’s their play, keep us grounded and force us closer to the water’s edge._

The duo continues losing ground from the repeated onslaughts; any attempts to return fire prove fruitless.

_Make them think their plan is working just a little longer…!_

Soon Seija and Shin’s backs are to the lake, at which point Kagerou emerges from the woods to face them directly. Above them are Sekibanki and her multiple circling heads.

“You really derailed our relaxing day, y’know,” Shin complains.

“After how many people’s days _you_ have derailed,” Sekibanki counters, “you’ve no room to talk.”

Seija chimes in, “And what about you, wolfy?”

“Don’t call me that,” says Kagerou.

“Whatever you say, wolfy. You the airhead’s lapdog now?”

“We’re both part of the Grassroot Youkai Network!”

The name alone gives Seija legitimate pause. “…The what?”

Kagerou perks up and, looking proud, says, “It’s an organization we less renowned Youkai use to exchange information and generally stay in the know.”

_She’s enthusiastic. She also doesn’t have Shin’s stuff on her from what I can tell, so Sekibanki has it under her cloak most likely. Unless that’s what she wants us to think._

“That’s enough, Kagerou. Let’s finish this,” says Sekibanki.

“Dang, you’re a barrel of laughs,” Seija says with a hand on her hip. “No back and forth? No banter?”

Not saying a word, their opponents both get ready to use spell cards, but their movements are ever so slightly delayed. Instead of responding in kind, Seija and Shin stand still, listening to their surroundings intently.

_Time to see if our bet pays off!_

A splash sounds behind them, exactly what Seija is waiting for. She instantly reacts by reversing her and Shin’s positions with Sekibanki and Kagerou. The latter two are subsequently grabbed and dragged underwater by a blue-haired mermaid in a green kimono: Wakasagihime.

“It worked!” Shin cheers.

Seija responds, “We don’t have long until she realizes the switch, move!”

Shin flies up high and looks down over the lake, the sun to her back. Meanwhile, Seija hides among the trees similar to how her foes did moments ago. Only a few seconds later do the trio of submerged Youkai surface.

Gasping for breath, Kagerou asks, “How… how did… she know?”

“I-I guess she figured out our plan,” says a flustered Sekibanki.

Wakasagihime, her concern apparent, says, “I'm so sorry! You said to keep them under until they passed out and-”

 _Wow, that’s ruthless. Though the mermaid seems very out of her element. In fact, despite the genuine cleverness of this whole plan,_ **_none_ ** _of the three seem particularly ill-natured. Gutless idiots. Makes me wonder how much danger we were really in. Now for some payback!_

With devious glee, Seija summons hundreds of bullets as she flies through the forest to vary their starting points, creating a huge fan of danmaku to rain down on the hapless trio. Sekibanki breaks away up and left, Kagerou up and right, and Wakasagihime dives into the water.

“Hey,” Shin shouts, “where do you think you’re going?!”

“Where-” Sekibanki is cut off when she looks up to where she hears Shin’s voice, blinded by the sun behind the inchling. “Urgh…”

Kagerou growls, rubbing her eyes after doing the same thing. “Stupid sun!”

The moment both are stunned, Shin calls out, “Small Bullet - Inchling’s Thorny Path!” Wave after wave of bullets fall upon the rokurokubi and werewolf, their blind attempts at dodging thwarted by Seija reversing their momentum to further confuse them. “Taste all of this overwhelming power! The trump card of the small!” Both Kagerou and Sekibanki scream before the danmaku knocks them out entirely. 

Wakasagihime, apparently having seen their bodies go limp from below, surfaces and says, “We surrender! We surrender!” She ferries her allies back to the shore and lays them down as Seija and Shin go to meet her.

Shin is the first to speak. “Before anything else, where are my things?”

“Seki had me hide them underwater in case you managed to beat her,” the mermaid answers.

“Go get them,” Seija commands. “Now.”

Wakasagihime complies and returns with Shin’s needle, bowl, and Miracle Mallet in less than a minute.

“Good to have them back!” says Shin cheerfully.

As this happens, Sekibanki and Kagerou begin to stir. “Ugh, what happened…?” asks the latter, still groggy.

Seija answers, “You bit off more than you can chew.”

“A-are you gonna hurt us?” asks a somewhat fearful Wakasagihime.

“I can think of no better use of time, really,” says Seija with a sarcastic smirk. “You lot have hopefully learned your lesson about messing with Shin and me. Not like you were ever threats to begin with.”

“Tch,” Sekibanki scoffs, staring into the sky. “You, of all people, showing mercy now?”

“Heh, if you really _want_ me to hurt you-”

Shin grabs Seija’s arm. “C’mon, they’re not worth it. Like you said, they can’t threaten us as they are.”

Seija looks back at Shin’s serious expression, eventually relenting. “Fine. But,” she says, turning back to her defeated adversaries, “you three aren’t getting off that easy. Tell us exactly why you did all this.”

“It is as I said before, we came together to prevent you from causing us low profile Youkai more trouble,” says Sekibanki.

“And you just so happened to know we were going on a walk today?”

“I had one of my heads do reconnaissance at the Shining Needle Castle after figuring out you were behind the mess at the dango festival. Your noticing and catching it earlier was all planned to lure you into our trap.”

_We were spied on that easily?_

“What were you intending on doing after capturing us?”

“Turn you into Reimu with my story; hopefully she would put you on a permanently shorter leash afterwards. With Mamizou, for whatever reason, lying to cover for you, my word alone wouldn’t be enough to convince her.”

“Wow,” says Shin. “You’d sell out your fellow Youkai just like that? Do you not realize we were trying to give the weak power to rule over the strong? Wouldn’t that benefit you?”

Kagerou pouts. “All you accomplished was making us more aggressive to the point of being thrashed by that shrine maiden and her friends. And even you two don’t stand a chance against them.”

“You say that, but aren’t you just a pathetic pile who wants to wallow in self-pity over how irrelevant you are? We made you someone worth fighting!” Seija says, her twisted smile unnerving the werewolf.

Sitting up, Sekibanki looks Seija dead in the eye and responds, “Some Youkai only want peaceful existences! Not everyone has some vague and asinine desire to ‘overturn Gensokyo’! What _are_ you trying to accomplish, really? Are you just a contrarian without a cause? All you do is cause problems for others.”

The amanojaku floats into the air, rotating her body 180 degrees, and puts her upside down face a few centimeters from Sekibanki’s. “Do you even realize who you’re talking to, airhead?”

“Now, now,” says Wakasagihime, doing her best to diffuse the situation despite her nervousness. “You beat us and we apologize for causing you two trouble. It won’t happen again, so I humbly ask you to let us go.”

“Pft, hahahahahahaha!” Seija cannot contain her laughter at the request. “So polite! I guess this is why they keep you around despite how useless you are in any fight without water!”

“I-is that a yes?”

“You wish. Honestly, having the gall to say that after what you just pulled? Almost admirable! But the way I see it, none of you are in a position to refuse the little favor I wanna ask for."

Everyone else present, including Shin, looks at Seija in surprise.

“You want them to do something for us?” asks the inchling.

“Not yet I don’t,” says Seija, wagging her finger. “But they owe us for sparing them. And one day I’m gonna call that in. When that day comes, I expect these three extras to be standing at attention. Or flopping, as the case may be.”

“And if we aren’t?” asks Kagerou.

“Oh, in that case, I’ll let you off with a slap on the wrist and a firm ‘Now don’t do this again, dearie.’”

With a grin and shrug, Shin says, “Of course, taking everything an amanojaku says at face value is something you do at your own risk.”

“Urgh…” Kagerou groans.

“You all brought this on yourselves by antagonizing us.”

“You two antagonize everyone,” says an incredulous Sekibanki.

“Which you take issue with yet don’t expect to be punished yourself?” says Seija, feigning shock. “You attacked two poor, innocent Youkai while they were taking a nice stroll! Talk about hypocrisy.”

“But you two-! That’s not even-!” Sekibanki stammers.

Seija makes a face that mockingly mimics a researcher examining a novel artifact. “And so the reserved girl finally loses her head, though I bet that happens all the time anyway.” Seeing the utterly flabbergasted rokurokubi’s face, she lets out a victorious maniacal laugh.

“Oh my gosh, Seija. That was bad even for you,” says Shin. Despite this, she also cannot hide her amusement and soon joins in. The partners’ audience is speechless.

“Anywho,” Seija says after she finishes basking in her own joke, “you idiots can think about what you’ve done while waiting for when we call you. Could be next week, could be next year, who knows! That’s part of the fun. Really, thanks for such a pathetic attempt at an ambush, I got a kick out of it. It completely makes up for interrupting our walk.” In a flash, Seija gets next to Sekibanki’s ear and whispers, “‘Completely.’ See ya!”

The beaten Youkai watch with mouths agape as the amanojaku offers a two-finger salute before flying off, followed by Shin waving goodbye and joining her.

“Kagerou, Waka, I’m truly sorry for dragging you into this awful mistake I’ve made,” says Sekibanki apologetically.

The mermaid shakes her head. “Don’t be, I have a feeling everyone’s going to be caught up in their schemes at some point or another.”

“They’re such headaches, Seija especially. And we were so close to beating them at first, I don’t know how Seija managed to overpower my neck.”

“That was right after I attacked Shinmyoumaru, right?” Kagerou asks.

“Yeah, why?”

“Call it an animal’s intuition, but usually, whenever I encounter a human or Youkai, I can get a feel for their intent. Be it normally or in a danmaku battle, everyone exudes a kind of aura that reflects their state of mind. When that aura says they’re intending to harm and they have the power to back it up, I stay away.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“Normally, Seija doesn’t make me feel like I’m in legitimate danger; rather, she comes across as though she’s playing a game. A game that could result in a lot of annoyances for everyone involved, mind, but a game all the same. But when she used her spell card and freed Shinmyoumaru… my instincts were screaming at me to run away.”

* * *

Once again small, Shin reclines in her bowl while Seija holds it close as they fly home. “The gods are smiling on us today,” says the inchling, looking straight up at her partner. “Just as we wonder how we’ll acquire extra help, those three serve themselves up on a silver platter. The timing couldn’t have been better.”

“Eh, we’ve met some of those gods, and I don’t think many of them particularly care about us one way or the other. Though I suppose from where you’re sitting, life must feel real nice,” Seija responds.

“Hey, I like being big, but having you do the flying for me lets me kick back and enjoy the breeze; the view is nice too.”

_You can fly just fine even when you’re small, but…_

Seija looks down at her relaxed companion, who offers a reassuring smile. Despite none of the wounds being remotely serious, Shin’s numerous nicks from the ambush cause Seija immense discomfort.

_I’ll let you have this._

A few silent minutes pass.

“So, white-water rafting? You’re a fan of that?” Seija asks.

“Yeah, I was actually thinking of participating in the next competition this winter since I missed the annual summer one.”

“Tell me the story of how you won with the mermaid before.”

“For reference, this was slightly over two years before we met again prior to the fireworks festival, so a bit more than three and a half years ago altogether. There were two separate brackets: singles and doubles. The singles tournament was done first and, since I was small at the time, the water had way more influence on me than any of the other racers. However!” Shin exclaims, standing up in her bowl, closing her eyes, and holding up her fist in performative dramatics. “The story of an inchling doing her best against the cruel, callous waves of the rapids endeared me to the crowd. I might have lost the race, but I won everyone’s hearts.”

Seija raises an eyebrow at the explanation but lets it be. “And the doubles tournament?”

“That was the one where I asked Waka to team up with me. My lightweight was my bane in the singles bracket, but it sealed our victory in doubles! Waka was entirely unencumbered carrying me through the waves.”

“So she did all the work?”

“Seeing my rise to success after such adversity only bolstered the crowd’s support! I was an irreplaceable member of the team.”

“Heh, whatever you say.” The amanojaku takes a moment to consider before adding, “How about we enter together at the next one? People might dislike us but there isn’t a rule saying we can’t compete as long as they think we’re playing above board.”

Narrowing her eyes, Shin asks, “Care to explain what you mean by ‘they think’?”

“Hey now, I would never consider messing with the other racers to ensure our victory! That would be unfair,” says Seija, her face as innocent as a thief caught in a vault.

Shin shrugs slyly. “Who can define ‘unfair’ in a race among Youkai, anyway? Sure, we can enter. It’s not until after the new year, though, so we’ll be waiting a little while yet. But what makes you interested?”

“Just a feeling I get. It sounds _super_ boring, after all.”

“Oh really? If you’re saying that, I’m getting fired up!”

“This is all a long ways off, though, so we should continue trying to hash out a larger scale plan like we were doing before getting derailed by Sekibanki.”

_Though, thanks to that ambush, not only did we gain potentially useful tools, I also learned more about Shin. We’ve been working together consistently for a good year and a half now yet there’s probably still a lot we don’t know about each other; that’s definitely more on me than her, though._

“At the risk of further distracting from that topic,” says Shin, “we’ve only talked about _my_ various escapades between our tenures working together. I’m curious, what did _you_ do during those years?”

_It’s like she read my mind._

“After we fought each other when you tried to capture me, and once I evaded every other dang Youkai and incident solver in Gensokyo for that matter, I laid low. With the cheating tools, no one could catch me. I was universally hated and ostracized and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

“All alone versus a world that despises you. The ideal life for an amanojaku, right?”

“You could say that, yeah.”

Pausing as though she is building up courage, Shin asks, “Then why stay with me after the fireworks festival?”

“Huh?” Seija is caught off guard by the question. “Well, you impressed me with everything you accomplished that day at the fireworks festival; life’s more interesting with you around. Plus the Shining Needle Castle is a good base of operations and we never have to want for any material needs thanks to it and the Miracle Mallet. Having an ally in my corner also helps me in my plans.”

“So that’s why. Have I succeeded in keeping you amused?”

“Ha! I can’t deny it.”

“Good. I say we continue entertaining and helping each other with our goals.” The inchling offers a thumbs-up. “Deal?”

The amanojaku returns the favor with a thumbs-down. “Deal.”

* * *

Many hours have passed since Seija and Shin returned home. They lay on their backs opposite each other under a kotatsu. No idea they discussed has yet to bear fruit and the frustration is getting to them.

“Okay, let’s systematically lay out every possible target we can think of one more time besides Hakurei Shrine, the human village, Kourindou, and anything underground,” declares Seija.

“Kirisame Magic Shop,” Shin answers.

“Few know about it and half of those who do expect Marisa to accidently blow it up anyway.”

“Scarlet Devil Mansion.”

“Owned by a bat with a big ego but most aren’t affected by it one way or the other.”

“Moriya Shrine.”

“…A possibility, but let’s consider our other options first. They’re especially wary of us after we almost nixed their power source.”

“Hmm… Eientei?”

“More Lunarians and rabbits, huh? What else?”

“How about Myouren Temple?”

“Another possibility.”

“Every other major location I know of is somewhere separate from Gensokyo that we’d need to travel to get to,” says Shin. “The Netherworld wouldn’t be hard to reach but there’s not really much there. Neither Heaven nor Hell are places we could feasibly impact if we even managed to survive the trip. Makai has a barrier, I can’t think of anyone besides Byakuren who’s even from there, and it gives me a bad vibe. Then there’s the Lunar Capital but that would be the hardest one of all to even reach, not to mention the high danger level.”

_I… don’t want to go to the Netherworld. And she’s right that Heaven, Hell, and Makai aren’t viable picks. Getting to the Lunar Capital would be hard, though those rabbits weren’t much to deal with; if they’re the standard for the military’s rank and file, hmmm._

Seija responds, “Just how dangerous would it be?”

“Huh?”

“The Lunarians invaded Gensokyo only, what, five years ago? They were repelled, so they can’t be invincible.”

“We don’t know all the details of that incident,” says Shin, visibly concerned over Seija’s line of thought. “Plus that was Reimu and the others who fended them off.”

“You seem oddly worried.”

Shin sits up and leans forward a bit. “They might not be willing to play by our rules.”

“I’ve had to deal with people breaking the rules to try and stop me before, I’m not letting that deter me now.”

“But isn’t this different? Incident solvers here never go past subduing most Youkai. Lunarians might go further. Why go after the Lunar Capital, anyway?”

“Think about it: overturning Gensokyo directly has grown more and more difficult as others become aware of our movements. Most in the Lunar Capital don’t know we exist. Plus there are stories of insane technology existing there we could steal and put to good use here. So many possibilities!”

“Look, I know I agreed with you before that we need to think bigger, but I also don’t want you to get hurt.”

Seija gets a weird feeling in her stomach hearing her partner’s words.

_Shin, you…_

“It’s not like we won’t be careful,” Seija reassures. “And I’m not stupid; going there half-cocked could be the end of us. We need to do a lot of research to prepare. But the idea of subverting a supposedly ‘pure’ society like that…” Her excitement is palpable as she says, “I can think of few things less interesting!”

Shin’s trepidation melts away, a gentler expression replacing it. “There it is.”

“Huh? What is?”

“Your inspiration, you’ve found it again. The desire and ability to rebel against the world itself. I was being genuine when questioning if going to the Moon was a good idea, but I also wanted to see if you could still flip my expectations.”

The amanojaku is speechless.

“Which is why, if we go through with this,” Shin continues, “I want you to promise me you won’t lose. Promise me that together, despite how we’re perceived as small nuisances, we’ll show everyone just how big we really are!”

“It’s a promise!” says Seija. She holds out her fist to the inchling, who meets her halfway. “Besides, losing isn’t possible for us.”

“Why do you say that?”

Rubbing her nose, Seija says, “Cause we already have a white-water rafting contest to win afterwards. No stupid Lunarian can stop us from doing that.”

That is not the response Shin expected. She puts a hand over her mouth, failing to entirely hold back the emotion she feels. “Seija, I- Thanks.”

“You’ve got nothing to thank me for. Let’s go do some investigating, we gotta find everyone we can with some sort of tie to the Lunar Capital.”

“Understood!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To start, I want to thank anyone who might have been waiting since Chapter 1's release for this entry. I was even more picky than usual in this chapter's construction, on top of moving recently, which caused a delay as I was a bit worn out; that said, I also waited longer than I should have to do write some of it, which is on me. There's a lot I want to put into this story so I want to make sure I do it right. But enough of that, time to talk about the chapter itself. Probably the biggest thing I attempted to highlight here is the fact that Seija really isn't a good person. That might be obvious to most but I think it's important to remember since she's the protagonist of the story. Sekibanki only wanted to prove Seija and Shin's wrongdoings and have them not cause anymore trouble. All this said, that doesn't mean Seija's incapable of positive thoughts or feelings; she'll often do the opposite of what others want, but she feels legitimate affection for Shin. That relationship helps humanize her (for a given definition of "human" since she's a Youkai and all). She'll mock and threaten someone in one scene only to immediately turn around and have a pleasant exchange with Shin in the next. In a way, I think that dichotomy (or reversal of behavior, if you will) fits her perfectly. But that judgement is really for readers to make. Brining up Shin's white-water rafting escapades from "Alternative Facts in Eastern Utopia" is something I'm very happy I got to do. Her having that as a hobby is really neat to me. It also (very conveniently!) gave her a story reason to know Wakasagihime. It's always a bit of a guessing game with how well certain characters know each other when there's little indication one way or the other. The fact Seki, Waka, and Kagerou all have a mutual connection through the Grassroots Youkai Network helped in justifying their working together. As such, this chapter had a very DDC-focused cast. Those three also don't have a ton of dialogue, as is the norm for most early stage bosses, so I hope fans of them liked their depiction here. As always, thank you so much for reading. Please consider leaving any comments or feedback below should you have some. Have a fantastic day/night!
> 
> Glossary:  
> Kotatsu - A low table frame, usually wooden, with a futon (read: heavy blanket) over it upon which a table top is placed. A heat source is placed underneath, which in the modern day is usually electricity-based. Traditionally, however, it uses a charcoal heater placed in pit below the table with a grate put over it (this is the kind Shin has due to the setting).


	3. nooM eulB a ni ecnO

“Seija, they’re gaining on us!” yells Shinmyoumaru.

“Yeah, yeah, I know!” an exasperated Seija responds in a panic.

They fly through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost as fast as they can. It is the day after their run-in with the three Grassroots Youkai Network members; the time is about an hour past sunset. Chasing them is a hoard of earth rabbits, many wielding giant mallets, led by Tewi Inaba. She wears her usual pink dress and carrot necklace while her white rabbit ears flop on her black hair. Beyond this hostile mob bearing down on the duo, the calm weather is quite nice with a full moon shining above.

_This place is way too hard to navigate! I realize “Lost” is in the name but come on!_

Tewi’s gang rapidly gains on the intruders as the former group is much more acclimated to and knowledgeable of the forest’s layout; beyond that, they are simply faster. Seija and Shin burst through some bamboo shoots to reach a clearing. On the other side are more rabbits, completely surrounding them with a pincer attack.

“That was quite a chase!” Tewi says jovially. “Looks like the end of the line.”

From over the forest into the clearing, Reisen Udongein Inaba reveals herself. Her outfit is a white shirt, red tie, and long-sleeved black blazer with a beige skirt, white socks, and maroon loafers. Both her flowing purple hair and rabbit ears gently sway as she descends, saying, “I don’t like how much fun you seem to be having. These Youkai are dangerous.”

A smug Tewi counters, “I know for a fact you’ve fraternized with the inchling before.”

“Forcible possession and small talk hardly constitutes ‘fraternizing’!”

While they argue, Shin whispers to Seija, “They’ve got us cornered, any bright ideas?”

“Ask them nicely to let us go?” suggests the amanojaku.

“Very funny.”

It is at that moment a burst of light above the forest catches everyone’s attention.

* * *

The morning after Seija and Shin’s battle with the three lesser Youkai, they have a discussion over breakfast on their first target for gathering information on the Lunar Capital: Eientei. 

“I’d say the main threat is Reisen,” says a small Shin before taking a bite out of onigiri nearly the size of her body.

Munching on mochi, Seija asks, “Wouldn’t an immortal like Kaguya be more problematic? Eirin, too.”

“They’re powerful but not exactly front line fighters. They’ll usually have Reisen or Tewi handle security and so forth from what I understand, meaning the rabbits are the ones we’re most likely to encounter. I single out Reisen because of her eyes; she can make you hallucinate and in general could be a massive hindrance to us should we be forced to fight her.”

“Huh, I take it you speak from experience. Never met her, myself. She wasn’t even part of the hordes that tried to catch me.”

“It’s weird. She didn’t exactly impress me when we briefly teamed up during the Perfect Possession incident, but before the incident was resolved I read in the paper she went on a rampage.”

“A rampage?” Seija repeats, incredulous. “Nothing I’ve heard about her indicates she’d be the type to do that.”

“Ah, uh, well, I guess she wanted to cut loose back then?”

_Don’t know why that thought makes her nervous. Maybe Reisen really is dangerous._

“Either way, let’s keep our guard up no matter who we run into,” says Seija.

“Yeah. Since then I’ve spoken to her in the village a few times when she was pedaling Eirin’s wares, if you’ll recall. Back to the main point, the question remains on how we actually _get_ information from Eientei. I doubt they have a sheet laying around with instructions on how to reach the Lunar Capital.”

“All the same, Eirin’s gotta have some absurd stuff lying around, right? She’s a genius and I bet some of what we could find in the capital would also be in Eientei. And if we find a path to our goal while there, all the better.”

“That intelligence is the same reason we can’t be flippant about it, you realize. I stand by Reisen being a more present danger, but Eirin could easily figure us out if we let her.”

“You’re right, which is why I already spent last night coming up with how we’ll infiltrate the place.”

Shin’s eyes narrow. “What’s your play?”

“Shrink both of us down with the Miracle Mallet,” Seija says while motioning to herself and Shin. “Two tiny intruders running around that huge manor will make us less likely to be caught while still covering double the ground.”

“Hmm…” Shin hums, putting a hand under her chin. “Doable but risky. If we’re too far separated then I can’t make you large again; at the very least, splitting up is out of the question. And you know full well I have to be careful using the mallet on other living beings.”

“Is that a no?”

“If you’re willing, we can do it.”

“Nice!” exclaims Seija with a big smile.

“Someone’s excited.”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d go for the suggestion, to be honest. I was prepared to concede the point if you were too against it.”

“How courteous, Miss Kijin,” Shin says with an exaggerated posh tone, bowing playfully. “Who knew an amanojaku could be so thoughtful as to respect my wishes?”

Seija rolls her eyes and rubs the back of her head. “Besides, I always wanted to try using your mallet this way, just never had a good opportunity before now.”

“You know you could have always asked before now if you wanted to try.”

“I dunno, seemed like a weird thing to request. But anyway, we should test it now before the real deal tonight.”

“Wait, hold on. Tonight? Even if there isn’t much to do in the way of preparations, why so soon?”

“Do you know what tonight is?” Seija asks slyly.

“…The last night of the month?”

“Well, yeah, but that’s not what I meant. It’s a full moon.”

Shin hits her left hand with her right fist as she realizes her partner’s meaning. “Eientei’s Moon Festival!”

“Exactly. I’ve never been but heard plenty of stories. And this is a special one since it’s the second full moon of the month; that doesn’t happen often. More guests are likely to show up and I bet Eirin and Kaguya will cook up something special for the occasion.”

“And you’re betting on the amount of people there helping distract them?”

“Yep. With everyone enjoying the festivities we can easily sneak around the manor.”

“My only major concern is the type of clientele this festival will attract. It’s not in the human village and takes place later in the day, meaning it’s likely there will be more Youkai than humans.”

Seija snickers. “Guess it’ll be a dull evening.”

“Seems so. And you’re right, we should test shrinking you beforehand.”

They clear the table so Seija can sit on top. Shin takes her Miracle Mallet in hand and, after making herself big, prepares to use it once more.

“You ready?” the inchling asks.

“Make me small.”

As Shin slowly swings the mallet down, it subtly glows.

_I don’t feel any differe-_

Everything around Seija begins increasing in size rapidly. The ceiling that was formerly only a few meters away is now dozens. The table she sits on widens from every end. Shin becomes a giant in front of her. At this point, Seija processes it is not her surroundings growing.

Standing up and scanning the room, she yells, “Whoa! Imagining it is one thing, experiencing it is another. So this is what it’s like to be you. …Shin?” Seija turns to face her partner to see the latter’s eyes wide while she covers her mouth with her hand. “Yo, Shin, is something the matter?”

“I- you- you’re so CUTE!” Shin scoops up the tiny Seija and hugs her.

“Gah! Shin, what the hell-”

“You’re like a little bundle of evil! It’s adorable!”

Struggling to free herself from the inchling’s grip, Seija shouts, “Let me go already!”

Hearing those words, Shin realizes what she is doing. She holds out Seija in the palm of her hand, blushing and embarrassed.

“What in the world was that display?” the little bundle of evil asks, arms crossed.

“Sorry… Not sure what came over me there. I wasn’t mentally prepared to see you so small.”

_Gosh that was humiliating. At least she got a kick out of it._

“Being bigger than someone else isn’t something you get to experience often, so I’ll let it slide this time,” says Seija. “But next time warn me if you’re gonna do that again!”

Shin sheepishly nods, still red in the face.

“Well, the shrinking worked. Time to see how effectively I can use my powers like this.”

Her hand points upwards as Seija attempts to flip the room.

“Uh, did you do it?” Shin asks.

The room appears normal to both of them.

_I’ve flipped areas proportionally larger than this before, so what gives?_

Seija focuses as hard as she can and wills for the room to be overturned. Finally it budges as she and Shin find themselves flying next to an upside down table still attached to the floor-turned-ceiling.

“I’m impressed you can maintain such precise control that only the two of us are affected by the inversion in your current state,” says Shin. “Being shrunk reduces the output of abilities, I’ve found.”

“It required way more focus than it normally should.”

“Seems you’ve acclimated decently well, though. We should be ready for tonight. What time do you want to head to Eientei?”

“The event doesn’t start until nightfall. I’m thinking it’d be a good idea to leave earlier and scout it out.”

“Sounds good!”

Silence prevails for a few moments after this agreement. Eventually Seija asks, “Uh, are you gonna return me to normal now?”

“Do I have to?”

“SHIN!”

The inchling cannot stifle her amusement. “Kidding!” she says with a wink.

_Why do I feel I’ve crossed a line that can’t be uncrossed…_

* * *

“Hmm,” hums Seija.

“Huh,” Shin grunts.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That we’re hopelessly lost in a huge bamboo forest infested with potential enemy rabbits?”

“Glad to know we’re on the same page.”

They sit back-to-back, both human-sized, somewhere in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. It is the early afternoon, roughly an hour after they first arrived.

Twiddling with her needle, Shin says, “Sorry, the only time I’ve been to Eientei was while I was still possessing Reisen. I can’t remember the way there.”

“You’re fine. What I don’t get is why we can’t see it from above. I tried scanning the top of the forest and didn’t see the manor anywhere.”

“Gotta love Kaguya and Eirin’s magic,” says a voice nearby.

Springing to her feet, Seija calls out, “Who’s there?!”

From around some bamboo shoots, Fujiwara no Mokou struts out with her hands in her pockets. She is wearing a long-sleeved button-up shirt, her trademark red suspenders decorated by paper charms, and laced brown boots. “Couldn’t help overhearin’ you were trying to find Eientei.”

“What’s it to you?”

“I guide people to and from there regularly. Figured you could use a hand.”

“You want to _help_ us?”

“That’s what I do for anyone lost here.”

“You tried to catch me back when I was on the run.”

Mokou scoffs. “That was years ago, a momentary distraction for a little fun. Water under the bridge as far as I’m concerned.”

“Seija,” Shin whispers, “we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. If she’s willing to help us then let’s accept. Not like we’ve made any meaningful progress.”

“You’re right but you have to admit she’s suspicious.”

“Do you have any better ideas?”

“How’s your strategy meeting going?” the immortal asks. “If you don’t want my assistance then I can leave.”

“Fine, show us where to go,” says Seija.

“Now that’s not a very polite way of putting it. Not even a ‘please’?”

_You pompous-_

Before Seija gets to retort, Shin steps in front and says, “Please show us the way. Thank you for your kind offer.”

“Aw, the small one has manners. Last time I saw you, you were way more feisty.” Mokou stretches her arms and gazes at the swaying bamboo. “Before we get moving, you said earlier you’re going to Eientei for the Moon Festival and Lunar Expo?”

“Lunar Expo?” Shin echoes back. “We were headed there for the festival, yes, but I didn’t realize there was more to it.”

“Ya must’ve missed the memo. The Lunar Expo is a rarer thing, Kaguya hosts it once a year. I’m betting it’s today this year because of the second full moon this month.”

“What exactly is on display?” asks Seija.

“Different stuff from and related to the Moon. Rocks, a flag, a special kimono, you name it. Not my cup of tea but some people think it’s neat.”

_That might include things we’d want to steal. Having it all on display will make it trickier if everyone’s eyes are on them._

“Anyway,” Mokou continues, “it’s not starting for at least another five hours or so. I was intending on making the rounds so no one got lost about an hour before but then I stumbled upon two lost Youkai by chance. Why arrive so early?”

“We wanted to make sure we weren’t late,” Seija says.

_It’s not a total lie._

“Uh-huh. And that’s also why you were worried about ‘potential enemy rabbits’?”

Seija and Shin tense up at the statement, ready to fight.

“Hey, relax,” says Mokou, leaning against some bamboo. “I’m under no obligation to warn Eientei if someone’s trying to pull something; that said, there’s also nothing stopping me from doing so. Since we’ve got time to kill, why don’t we drop by my place? I just so happen to be expecting company already.”

_She has us in the palm of her hand and knows it. What’s her game?_

“What company?” Shin asks.

“Someone with whom y’all are already acquainted, from what I understand.”

* * *

Sumireko Usami lazily lies on the floor in Mokou’s home, one arm under her head and holding her phone in her left hand, aimlessly swiping through its saved pictures. Her rune-inscribed cloak sits folded in the room’s corner with the matching bowed-hat on top.

The door to the house slides open with Mokou, Seija, and Shin walking inside. The first of them says, “Yo!”

“There you are, was wondering when-” Sumireko cuts herself off after sitting up and seeing Mokou’s company. “What are they doing here?!” she says, pointing at the festival crashers.

_The ditzy human from the Outside World, so that’s what Mokou meant earlier._

“I ran into them while they were lost, so I invited them over,” Mokou answers.

“That doesn’t even begin to answer all my questions.”

“Look,” Seija interjects, “we don’t know what her reasons are either.” She turns to the host. “Care to explain what you’re trying to pull?”

Mokou walks to a cabinet, pulls out a pot already prepped with water, and begins heating it with fire from her hand. “Tea, anyone?”

All three guests gawk at her.

“Just tell us what you’re up to!” Shin demands.

“There’s the spunk I remember! Let’s not beat around the bush, then: you two’s plan for the festival and expo, what is it?”

“We have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You can cut the ignorant act, otherwise I’ll be at Eientei before this water finishes boiling.”

Seija grits her teeth. “We’re trying to find information.”

“What kind of information?”

_We can’t risk our plan being found out so early, even by people who aren’t related._

The tension in the room can be cut by a knife. Sumireko nervously glances back and forth between Seija and Shin, who have averted their eyes, and Mokou, whose face is as cold as her fire is hot.

The immortal finally lets out a sigh before saying, “That part is something you aren’t willing to disclose even with my threats, I take it. Fine, you can keep some of your secrets. Ain’t any use prying if you won’t crack.”

“Now it’s your turn,” says Seija. “Explain what you want.”

“Fair enough. You two’s presence means something’s about to get messed up; I want to use that to my advantage.”

“How do you intend to use us?”

“To entertain myself, you could say. I don’t wanna hurt any bystanders or security who might be in the way of Kaguya tonight.”

_I’ve heard accounts of Mokou and Kaguya’s feud before. She wants us to be a distraction?_

“That look on your face tells me you catch on fast,” Mokou says. “You two are experts at causing disturbances. Make me a clear path to Kaguya by throwing off Eirin and her army of rabbits.”

Sumireko, still on edge, chimes in, “S-since when do you need other people to help you reach Kaguya? You two go at each other all the time with no issue.”

“Normally that’s true, but this whole expo is Kaguya’s special night. She enjoys hosting it a lot and would be adamant about there not being any problems. To me, that’s the perfect time to pull the rug out from under her. I’ve let it go undisturbed in years past since others could cause problems or get hurt if I made a scene. I’m not out to ruin everyone’s night. Just as I was thinking this year would be the same story, I overhear a certain pair of ‘hopelessly lost’ Youkai.”

“But, hypocritically, you would have _us_ ruin everyone’s night,” says Shin, arms folded.

“Nah, you got it wrong. Just distracting security should be enough for me to get Kaguya alone. If anything, try not to mess with the visitors. Mass panic and hysteria could get the whole thing shut down prematurely. Ruining Kaguya’s night just means making _her_ unable to enjoy it; letting everyone else admire the displays and gorge themselves on mochi is fine.”

_Our whole plan was predicated on not being seen. She’s asking us to do the opposite. But I can’t think of an out that doesn’t involve doing what she says for now._

“You’ll need to give us a little time to do what we came for first,” Seija explains. “If you won’t, we’ll leave and try our luck another day while you’re stuck without help.”

“Of course. Just know that you’ll regret double crossing me if you try.”

“If you think we’re scared of you, you’re way too full of yourself,” Shin shoots back defiantly.

“Oh I don’t think you are. The two of you together might even be a little tough despite appearances. However, there's more than one way to get back at someone. Believe me when I say that eventually I'd get retribution.”

_As much as I hate admitting it, I respect her angle. She has a goal and is willing to use us to reach it. Provided Shin and I get what we came for, it shouldn’t matter if we help her._

“Show us how to reach Eientei and we’ll handle everything,” says Seija.

Mokou grins. “Glad to know we’ve reached an understanding.” The pot in her hand starts whistling. “Looks like tea’s ready. Y’all should kick back.”

“W-what about me?!” Sumireko yells. “I witnessed this whole conversation, doesn’t that mean I’m an accomplice?!”

“You’ve got the most important job of all, Sumi,” Mokou says, putting a non-flaming hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Relax and enjoy the night. You were already planning on visiting and going to the expo for a while, I wouldn’t wanna ruin that with a last second scheme of my own.”

“I really don’t know how to feel about this!”

“You’ll be fiiiiine.”

This back and forth continues for a long while.

* * *

Late in the afternoon, the sky is slowly transitioning from light blue to orange. The time for the group to move has arrived.

_Finally. I was getting sick of waiting and playing card games with glasses girl._

“You head out first, Sumi,” says Mokou. “Since you’re a normal visitor tonight, you shouldn’t be seen with us.”

“A-alright,” says Sumireko, still anxious as she heads out. Soon enough she is out of sight.

Turning back to Seija and Shin, Mokou says, “From here, I’ll lead y’all to Eientei then start guiding anyone in the forest who needs it. We’ve got about an hour from now until sunset, which is when it should really kick into gear. From there I’ll give you another hour before making my move. You can handle finishing in that amount of time, yeah?”

“Sounds reasonable,” Shin responds.

“Then follow me.”

The Bamboo Forest of the Lost is circuitous and unforgiving to the inexperienced, yet Mokou navigates with nary an issue. It only takes ten minutes of flying for the manor to be within sight through a thinner set of bamboo.

“How were we unable to find this?” asks Seija. “It took hardly any time to get here.”

“You were actually really close when I found you. In fact, you had been for a while,” Mokou answers.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I was watching y’all for a little longer than I indicated earlier. It’s not hard to guess you’re up to no good, so I waited for you to mention sensitive information before approaching.”

“You hustled us.”

Mokou shrugs. “Part of it was bad luck on your part; there were a few times I could’ve sworn you’d find it, only to take a wrong turn. This forest just has a knack for making folks lose their way. Factor in your lack of experience with the place and it’s not hard to see why you got so lost. Eirin made sure that locating Kaguya would be very difficult for the Lunar Capital.”

“Why is Kaguya hiding from the Lunarians, anyway?”

“You’ve never heard the story? The long and short is that drinking the Hourai Elixir to become immortal is a big taboo in the pretentiously ‘pure’ Lunarian society. Kaguya was sent to Earth as punishment over a millennia ago. Eventually they decided they wanted her back, so Eirin and a group of emissaries were sent to retrieve her. The good pharmacist had other plans, though, and that’s why she and Kaguya live here now.”

As she listens to Mokou’s explanation, Shin comes to a realization. “The emissaries that came with Eirin, are they…?”

“You should keep this between us, for your sake. And nowadays the Lunarians know Eirin and Kaguya are here; they just leave well enough alone. Rarely, a higher up or two comes to visit.”

_A messy backstory for an innocent expo._

“How do you know all this?” Shin asks.

Very subtly, Mokou tenses up at the question. “As I’m sure you’re aware, I’ve been around a long time myself. Let’s leave it at that, we’ve gotta hurry up and put this plan into motion.”

_Not keen on sharing her own past, I see. If we hadn’t already known she’s an immortal, I wonder if she would’ve even said that much._

Their guide flies off after a quick wave, leaving Seija and Shin alone. “The Lunarians don’t have a very pretty history, I guess,” says the latter.

“Most places that last long enough don’t. While it’s not the main info we need, just the knowledge of how Kaguya and Eirin came to live here is valuable. I was thinking that they’d be completely cut off from the Moon hearing Mokou’s explanation. But if she says they get visitors from there every so often, that’s a good sign we might find a lead on how to get there ourselves.”

“True. Ready to shrink?”

“Together this time. Don’t need you getting distracted.”

Shin pouts. “You’re never letting that go, are you?”

“Sure I will,” says Seija with a slight smile. “Let’s get moving.”

A few waves of the Miracle Mallet later, the duo are bit more than twice the height of blades of grass on the ground.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to seeing the world like this,” Seija says as she messes with the flora in front of her.

“It’s natural to me. Everything is so huge and out of reach. Like you could just keep going and going and going and barely make any progress.”

_Shin…_

“But I don’t have to worry about that as long as I have the Miracle Mallet!” the inchling continues.

“Yeah. And we’ll show the world ‘just how big we are,’ right?”

“Right!”

Spirits high, they begin flying to the wall around Eientei. Shin, having left her bowl at home so as to not stick out, helps her partner acclimate to her new size. Small breezes are now mighty winds, narrow gaps between bamboo shoots become huge openings for progress, and an objective one hundred meters away takes much longer to reach. Their approach is slowed by hiding whenever one of Eientei’s rabbits skips by, urgently preparing for the festival. Visitors begin arriving as well. While ducking under the grass, Seija spies a tengu flying over the wall into the manor grounds.

“Who was that?” Shin asks. “Aya?”

“I couldn’t get a good look. I saw some purple and black which, last I checked, aren’t her colors. I’m guessing Hatate.”

“That might be even worse. I was thinking that Aya showing up could cause the extra problem of us being found and put in the paper. Hatate’s thoughtography would make getting info on us even easier plus her articles tend to be better researched.”

“You read her paper?”

“It pays to get the news from multiple sources.”

“Rather savvy of you. Hatate isn’t as quick on the draw, though, which could give us an edge. Plus she isn’t an incident solv-”

Another figure rockets by overhead, this one on a broomstick.

“…”

An expressionless Shin looks at Seija. “Is that who I think it was?”

“Didn’t know this festival would be the understudy hour.”

“Look at this way: we have even more incentive to not get caught,” says Shin in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Which makes upholding our end of Mokou’s bargain harder.”

They stand there in an awkward silence for a few moments.

“We’ll figure it out as we go,” says Seija. “We’re too deep in to back out now.”

Spirits not quite as high, they reach the wall and, waiting for their opportunity, scale it when no rabbits are around. It has been twenty-five minutes since Seija and Shin departed from Mokou’s house. The grounds of the manor are very traditional; there is a well-maintained rock garden and a few scattered bamboo plants. It is also exceptionally large, especially for the shrunken intruders; they approached from a side nearer to the back and have a hard time making out everyone at the front. All they can tell is that multiple visitors have arrived, Sumireko, Hatate Himekaidou, and Marisa Kirisame apparently among them. The grounds immediately below have various rabbits coming and going, at one point including Reisen Udongein Inaba.

“We don’t have any openings to get to the manor from the wall,” Shin observes. “There aren’t good hiding spots and the distance to the deck is too long for us to break for it without being seen.”

“Couldn’t we fly straight up to the point we’re too small to be seen then descend from over the roof?”

“We’re big enough that someone could still spot us on the way up or down, not to mention anyone else flying here.”

“I don’t want to wait until the festival starts to get moving. There has to be a way…”

Examining the grounds a second time, Seija takes in the architecture of the manor itself more than before. There are separate buildings of various heights all merged together, with roofs of different elevations to match. Further down the wall, at the very back of Eientei, is a particularly low roof that juts out more than the rest.

“Let’s make our way down there and fly to that awning, see it?” Seija says, pointing.

“Not a bad idea. Might as well give it a try.”

They lay low and run across the outer wall, reaching the designated area in about two minutes. As soon as they arrive at the back, however, they realize there is a major problem: over a dozen rabbits pound mochi behind the building, Tewi Inaba supervising them. Any of them need only glance in Seija and Shin’s direction to see them flying if they attempt to cross now. Other rabbits periodically run by to drop off ingredients before leaving to fetch more.

“We need a solid eight second distraction to make it,” says Shin.

Seija cracks her knuckles. “Say no more.”

“C’mon, we’re on a schedule here!” Tewi shouts, unaware of the trespassers in her vicinity. “We need the last of it done in half an hour!”

The rabbits nod and pound with renewed vigor, praising the name Lord Daikoku as they do so.

_I have no idea who that is. Rabbits are weird._

Tewi paces around, examining the work of her kin, when she randomly stumbles. “What was that? Did I trip over my own feet…?” She looks to the rabbits, who stop to see if Tewi is okay. “I’m fine, keep working!” At that moment, her ear twitches and she quickly spins around to face the outer wall. Seija and Shin sit motionless on the awning across from the wall Tewi stares at, not so much as breathing.

_I’m too weak like this, she didn’t even fall over when I reversed her stride. And her instincts are insane. I can’t believe she sensed us like that. Maybe her rabbit ears are sensitive?_

Tewi eventually turns back to her charges and continues monitoring their progress. Seija makes a hand motion pointing toward the center of the grounds, not risking speaking and alerting Tewi. Shin nods in agreement and they carefully fly until they find a courtyard, sectioned off from the outside.

“That was lucky,” says Shin, letting out a sigh of relief.

“We managed to get in but we still need to find what we came for and get out. Eirin or Kaguya might still be inside, too.”

“No one’s in the courtyard so let’s take our chance now.”

They swoop down to the deck after checking one more time that no is in the area. Upon reaching there, they encounter their next obstacle: a door. Seija glances at Shin, incredulous; the latter can only shrug.

_You’ve gotta be kidding me._

They push with all their might but cannot get the door to slide even a centimeter. Seija facepalms.

Shin pats Seija’s back. “You get used to it.”

“We didn’t get past all those rabbits only to be stopped cold by a _door_.”

“I anticipated this would happen, luckily there are countermeasures! When you’re our size, there’s usually more than one way. Rotting wood, mouse holes, little nooks and crannies, entry points are everywhere.” Shin hops off the deck to ground. “You just gotta look!”

Following her partner, Seija finds Shin frantically examining the building’s foundation, all her prior suaveness gone without a trace. “This is unreal. It’s like the wood hasn’t aged a day.”

“Is it because of this place’s magical nonsense?”

“That’s the most plausible explanation I can think of. Maybe the walls or doors have holes?”

Their examination of the courtyard’s surroundings bears no fruit. Not a single opening to be found. Even the windows have been shuttered. They return to the part of the deck they started at and sit down.

“I’ve never seen a house so airtight,” says Shin. “There were open windows on the outside walls of the manor, too. Why just this area? So much for all my bravado.”

Seija leans back on her hands. “Ain’t your fault. Your only mistake was applying normal logic to Lunarians.”

“Do they even count as Lunarians anymore, given how long they’ve lived on Earth?”

“Semantics.”

They hear the door they failed to open a moment ago slide open while they deliberate. Immediately both fly below deck and drop prone, covering themselves behind the wood that outlines the lower part.

“It appears we already have quite a few guests,” says a refined voice.

“Indeed, Lady Kaguya,” responds a mature voice. “While it’s not quite sundown, would you like me to start the festivities? Tewi says the last batch of mochi is nearly done.”

“Moonrise _is_ before sundown, so why not?” Kaguya Houraisan muses, her flowing burgundy skirt fluttering with each step she takes down to the courtyard. “Let them in.”

“On your word, then.”

The second voice descends the steps as well, with Seija and Shin recognizing the person as Eirin Yagokoro despite being unable to see her upper body. The hosts walk to the opposite deck and head through the door, leaving the duo alone.

“Looks like people will be roaming the manor grounds very soon,” warns Shin.

Seija scratches her head. “This gets better by the second. Let’s check to see if they left either door cracked.”

Sadly for them, the door above them was closed properly. A quick flight over to the opposite door shows the same to be true for it as well.

“There’s nothing else for it, you’ll need to make yourself big briefly to open the door they came from,” says Seija.

“Even if I do that, we’ll run into this issue with every door. It’s too much of a risk and won’t solve the main problem.”

“Then we have to go up and over the house into one of the open windows we saw before.”

“That runs the risk of being seen again and still doesn’t address the doors inside. Hmm… What if you rotate the door’s gravity ninety degrees? Some of your spell cards rotate the area as opposed to flat-out flipping it, don’t they?”

“The ones you’re referring rotate a full one-eighty degrees, but that could work. It’d still be overturning in the sense of flipping the concept of a closed door. Let me try.”

Returning to the initial door, Seija motions her hands and wills for the closed door to be overturned. “Push it now, Shin! The amount of focus this requires while I’m this size isn’t something I can maintain for long.”

“Understood!”

Shin shoves with everything she has and the door gives way, sliding very fast towards the wall once the initial hurdle is cleared. Seija drops the effect right before the collision, causing it to slow and not make a loud bang when it hits the wall.

“Whew,” Seija exhales.

“Great job!” says a jubilant Shin. “Let’s get inside and close the door quickly.”

They repeat the process from the other side, though closing the door proves less strenuous than opening it. They survey the hallway before them: six more rooms, three on each side. And this is only a small fraction of the gigantic Eientei.

“This is going to take a while,” says a not-so-jubilant Seija.

“On one hand, the sheer size of the place means we’re less likely to encounter people,” Shin begins. “On the other… we might wear ourselves out just opening doors before we find what we came for.”

“The time limit Mokou gave us is ticking, we’ll have to complain later.”

And so they begin their search, one room at a time. At their fastest, they can finish opening, searching, and closing a room in two to three minutes. Many are lounge rooms with little beyond a table, cushions, vases, and a tea set. The ones that vary from the norm do not offer much more. Rarely, they have to hide from a passing rabbit; they have yet to see any visitors, however. After thirteen rooms of searching, Seija notices that the sun has set outside when passing by a cracked window on the way to the next room.

_Of course this one isn’t shuttered. Less than an hour left to find what we need and cause a big distraction. We utterly underestimated how long this would take and both of us are getting tired. Eirin should have an office or something, right? What about Kaguya’s room? Where are they?_

“There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere!” 

The mounting irritation the duo feels is simultaneously washed away and amplified by that statement as they see Sumireko, who just turned the corner. She runs over and picks them up.

“What the- what are you doing here?” Seija asks.

“The visitors were given free reign to roam the grounds as soon as the expo started,” says the high school girl. “It only took a few minutes of wandering for me to realize you two would never get around fast enough. And I figured, if I’m already complicit in Mokou’s plan, I might as well put my trepidation aside and help her see it through.”

“Even with that, you’d help us after we hijacked the fireworks festival?”

“You definitely made it more dangerous, but Reimers and everyone kept it safe for the audience, so it was still really exciting!”

_This girl really doesn’t grasp what she’s getting herself into. At least she appreciates quality danmaku. And I’ll give her credit for noticing us before we noticed her._

“You came at the perfect time, just promise you won’t try to make me your pet again,” says Shin, unsure if she should be happy or concerned.

“Fine… Anyway, where do you need me to go?”

“Do you know where Eirin’s room would be? Maybe Kaguya’s?”

“Their rooms? No dice there. But I do know where Eirin’s pharmaceutical office is. Marisa mentioned it earlier before I slipped away.”

“That’s as good a place as any.”

Sumireko does an about-face and quickly strides down the halls, putting the small Youkai on each shoulder.

“What all is on display?” Shin asks while en-route.

“A ton of wild stuff! A lunar rover, the U.S. flag from the Apollo 11 mission, an astronaut’s helmet, various moon rocks-”

“What the heck is a ‘U.S.’?” Seija interjects.

“Somewhere from the Outside World, don’t worry about it. That country was the first to land on the Moon. You know Clownpiece, right? Her outfit has the same pattern as that flag.”

“How did humans manage to get to the Moon? And what kind of idiot models their flag after a fairy’s outfit?”

“They used a rocket and the flag is- y’know what, never mind. Beyond conventional stuff, she showed off some relics she claims are from the Lunar Capital. But, while it’s not even part of the expo technically, I asked if I could see the items from her legendary five impossible tasks. It’s insane all of them were real! That Kaguya is a real person! AND SHE’S FROM THE MOON!”

“Keep it down, someone might hear you. Why are you so excited about all of this? Didn’t you know most of that already?”

“Yeah, but like, this stuff is mythical where I’m from. It’s insane to me that it’s all true and I can see it for myself.”

_Humans are easily pleased. Seems nothing on display was worth our time after all._

“Wait,” Shin chimes in. “You asked to see all of these? I thought you started looking for us a few minutes after you were let in.”

“Oh! Well, you see, it was a few minutes after I started _wandering around_ , not a few minutes after the event _started_. Heheh.”

_If this girl wasn’t helping us I’d flip her into the ground._

Sumireko stops in front of a door. “Aaaaaaanyway, we’re here!”

Inside the room is an orderly desk with various tools and materials for producing medicine, a huge cabinet with dozens of drawers and jars on top, guest chairs, and an elevated bench for patients to lay down and be examined.

“Glasses, stand watch outside and warn us if someone’s coming,” Seija commands. “Unlike us, you won’t immediately draw suspicion if you're seen.”

“I have a name.”

“So does everyone else, it’s crazy.”

“No wonder no one likes you, jeez.”

Once Sumireko is on guard in the hallway, Shin says, “I’m not exactly fond of her myself, but burning bridges while we’re still over the ravine might not be the best move.”

“I feel ya. Don’t worry, I won’t push her too far,” Seija reassures. “You check the desk, maybe there’s a letter or something from the capital. I’ll look through the cabinet to see if there’s anything worth taking.”

They rifle through their respective targets, nervous over how pressed they are for time. Seija finds various medications in the drawers.

_Vaccines? I think that’s something humans use to become immune to diseases. Nothing a Youkai or Lunarian would need. This drawer has pills for ‘pain relief’ like headaches. Here there’s ‘cough medicine.’ Hmm… this one’s different. The note on top says ‘For pleasant dreams. Market to Youkai.’ The label reads ‘Butterfly Dream Pill.’ And this other container says ‘Butterfly Dream Pill - Nightmare Type.’ Why make a version that gives you nightmares? …Huh, the only person who has a prescription bottle in here is ‘Alice Margatroid,’ for the normal version. None of this is useful to us, though._

A drawer on the top right of the cabinet catches Seija’s eye. Unlike the others, it has a keyhole on it.

“Shin, have you seen a key over there?”

“No, nothing of the sort. And the only notes I’ve found have been about patients who’ve stopped by.”

“Don’t suppose you have any lock picking experience with your needle?”

“Nope. I’m guessing there are locks over there?”

“Of all the drawers on this cabinet, only one has a lock.”

“That’s definitely suspicious. We can try opening it, but we need to make sure not to leave signs we were here if possible.”

“Yeah. Now help me with this.”

“Comin- wait,” Shin stops herself short. “Come over here first.”

Seija complies. “What did ya find?”

“Read for yourself,” says Shin, motioning to a piece of paper she laid on the table.

Lady Yagokoro,

I am incredibly grateful for your assistance with the previous incident.  
Your quick thinking saved both the Lunar Capital and Gensokyo a great deal of hardship.  
I would very much like to visit more frequently going forward, both to thank you in person and rekindle relations, if you would have me.  
And not as a meeting between whatever titles we have been given, but as friends.  
I know the princesses have visited before as well, so hopefully this is not too much to ask.

My Sincerest Regards,  
Sagume Kishin

“Sagume Kishin?!” Seija cannot hold back her excitement. “This is from Ame-no-Sagume! I got to see her briefly at the fireworks festival, she’s _the_ amanojaku! She reverses situations with only her words!”

“It’s rare to see you so awestruck. I remember you being ecstatic back then, too.”

“ _Ahem_. Regardless, when was this letter written? The last incident I know of to involve the Lunar Capital was the invasion.”

“That might be exactly what it’s referring to. I found it neatly folded at the back of the desk’s bottom right drawer underneath a bunch of papers. Though this letter looks brand new, that might be because of how nothing in this place seems to age.”

“It’s probably important to Eirin, then. Put it back where you found it as best you can.”

After Shin does so, they return to Seija’s earlier target: the locked drawer.

“Could this have some kind of magical lock on it?” Shin asks.

“Maybe.”

“And you still want to try?”

“No risk, no reward.”

“I like your attitude.”

They insert Shin’s needle and try cracking the lock. A bunch of fumbling later, there is no progress made.

“What if we shrunk the drawer?” Seija suggests.

“Could work, but at best it’d leave scratch marks in the spots where the drawer and lock is overlapping the cabinet. At worst, it’d break whole parts of both. …I got it!”

“What is it?”

“We can ask Sumireko if her ESP is able to open a lock.”

“The heck is ‘ESP’?”

Sumireko bursts into the room and says, “It means ‘extrasensory perception’ but it’d be more accurate to call me an ‘esper’ as I have various psychic abilities such as-”

Seija cuts her off. “Were you eavesdropping this whole time?”

“Only after I heard you fangirl about Sagume.”

The amanojaku looks away, her face red.

“Putting all that aside,” says Shin, trying her best to not to crack up, “can you open a lock?”

“It’s a piece of cake for me! But of course I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not I have illegally broken and entered anywhere before now or intend to after this point in time.”

_I might take some of Eirin’s headache medication after all._

“Shin, do you mind being our lookout while our _esteemed friend Sumireko_ is working?”

“Leave it to me,” says Shin, still amused at the situation.

Sumireko says, “Aw, thanks for finally using my name. Maybe you aren’t so bad. If it’s too much of a mouthful, you can call me Sumi!”

Seija is dumbfounded.

“Mind if I call you Seij? I think it’d be cute!”

Shin’s laughter is audible from the other end of the room.

_This is where I die. My time has come. Evaded countless pursuers and I’ve finally met my end._

“Just… just Seija is fine. We’re on a time limit so _please_ hurry up.”

Saying those words causes the amanojaku almost physical pain.

“Oh, got it!” Sumireko responds with a two-finger salute. She closes her eyes as she telekinetically moves the inner workings of the lock, listening intently. Her brow furrows every so often whenever she meets resistance but her progress is slow and steady. In about three minutes, she and Seija hear the distinctive _click_ of the lock.

“So what’s inside the mysterious drawer?” muses Sumireko as she goes for the handle.

_Well, if there’s a booby trap, at least she’ll be the one to trigger it._

Despite Seija and Shin’s suspicions about a magical lock or trap, by all accounts Sumireko does not set off anything of the sort.

_Really? Nothing? I have a hard time believing Erin would protect something with only a conventional lock._

Inside the drawer is a single multi-piece stand designed to hold four vials, which Sumireko pulls out. Two of the vials are empty and two are full.

“The label calls this the ‘Ultramarine Orb Elixir’ and each vial has a name on it,” she says. “I’ve never heard of this before.”

“Whose names?” Seija asks, similarly confused.

“On the two empty ones, Reisen Udongein Inaba and Marisa Kirisame. On the two full ones, Sanae Kochiya and Reimu Hakurei.”

“What? Why those four-”

“Seija, we’ve got trouble!” Shin yells as she flies into the room. “A dozen rabbits are charging down the hall from either end, with Reisen and Tewi leading them! I think they know we’re here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is out and it's the start of a two-parter. I originally intended for this to release a bit sooner than it did, my apologies for that. On the flip side, I can safely say the next chapter will be out next Saturday, so there won't be too long a wait for what comes next. Breaking down this chapter, I'd like to address four important things regarding canonicity:  
> 1\. From what I've researched, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1873, which is before the Great Hakurei Barrier's creation. I don't recall if we ever hear months referred to by name in Touhou, but presumably Gensokyo operates on this system. The day this chapter is meant to take place on is October 31st, 2020, which was the second full moon of October (making this a belated Halloween special, I guess).  
> 2\. It has yet to be seen in canon if Shin can shrink other beings with the Miracle Mallet (as far as I'm aware). For the purposes of this story, I'm assuming she can.  
> 3\. The letter from Sagume to Eirin is something I created but is made to fit with established events, specifically Sagume being seen visiting Eientei as described in Alternative Facts in Eastern Utopia.  
> 4\. While I will wait to go into specifics on this until later, I know the names and which vials are/aren't full in regards to the Ultramarine Orb Elixir might raise an eyebrow. All I'll say is that it's possible to get the Good Endings in Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom through both Pointdevice Mode *and* a No-Miss Legacy Mode clear. Also, which routes are canon (if any specific one is and it's not some sort of combination) is left up to interpretation in every mainline Touhou game; I'm operating under my own interpretation which will become more clear with time.
> 
> Hopefully I didn't miss canon somewhere that outright contradicts or addresses any of the above. To talk about my thoughts more, it was fun writing Seija on the verbal back foot for once. Shin, Mokou, and Sumireko all get their own kinds of one-ups on her and the ways Seija reacts to that was an interesting change of pace. Speaking of the latter two, they got to debut here today. Sumireko I've written a little bit of before, though not much, while Mokou is new territory for me. For the former, I really tried to nail down her fascination with Gensokyo and how her real world knowledge mixes with the average Youkai's (i.e. Seija and Shin's). For the latter, it was balancing her feud with Kaguya with how she's in many ways chill, jovial, and cunning. Mokou is the type to do something just because it's fun and exhilarating (as shown by Antinomy of Common Flowers) but she's far from stupid. Shifting topics, something I admittedly worry about in my works is there being too much questioning/explaining by the characters to the point of tedium, a worry this chapter especially made me grapple with. There was a lot of information to sift through this time so I hope it was easy to process and swallow while not being boring. On top of this, there wasn't any major fight, which I know might be something to look forward to for some. Most of the dramatic tension came from the duo's conversations with Mokou and attempts to not be seen as they snuck around. I won't shoehorn a fast moment (or a quiet one for that matter) if it doesn't fit the story I want to tell but this kind of exposition and pacing is one area I'd appreciate feedback on. All that said, next week will be more high octane (as you might guess by the way this chapter begins and ends).  
> This was very long-winded as post-mortems go, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading it and the story in general. I truly appreciate every reader, kudos, and comment I get immensely. Once again, thank you very much for reading. Have a fantastic day/night!


	4. htdaerB s’eraH a yB

Reisen forcefully opens the door to Eirin’s office with one hand while keeping her bunny-themed handgun trained in front of her.

“See anything?” Tewi asks, right behind Reisen along with a veritable battalion of rabbits.

The office appears completely undisturbed with no one inside. No sign of the window being broken into or used as an escape route.

“Nothing yet, but the door wasn’t completely closed when we got here,” says Reisen. “Be careful.”

Tewi lazily walks past her coworker. “I feel I should be the one saying that to you.”

“Now’s not the time for jokes, you know exactly what set off the alarm. We need to settle this fast without disturbing Lady Kaguya’s exposition. I’ll cover you; go check the drawer.”

Complying with the request, Tewi goes to the cabinet and opens the locked drawer containing the Ultramarine Orb Elixir. “Definitely wasn’t a false alarm,” she says. “It was unlocked and the elixir is gone.”

“The thieves are likely still in the manor somewhere. We made it to the room thirty seconds after the alarm sounded and, barring some kind of teleportation, it would be impossible to escape without us seeing them.”

“However we can’t discount that possibility.” Tewi turns to the dozens of earth rabbits in the hallway, declaring, “Okay everyone, listen up! Pairs of two at every room with the rest patrolling the grounds. Call for backup immediately should you see our intruders. Reisen and I will be searching as well. Get moving!”

All of the rabbits nod in unison before fanning out, two staying behind to monitor Eirin’s office. As this happens, Seija, Shin, and Sumireko take themselves off the wall in the adjacent room they had pressed their ears against.

_I didn’t know Sumireko had a short-distance teleport; she grabbed us and suddenly we were in here. Quick thinking too, I’m not sure if Shin would have been able to shrink her with the Miracle Mallet in time; even if she did, being small doesn’t make us invisible._

They are in a room with multiple cushions and tables, which Seija assumes is meant for patients waiting to see Eirin.

“They said rabbit sentries would be posted at every room, we aren’t safe here,” Shin whispers.

Sumireko examines the vials she stole. “What’s so special about this elixir?”

“I wanna know what alerted them,” says Seija. “There wasn’t anything audible triggered by you opening the drawer.”

“Hmm… nothing audible to us, maybe, but rabbits are able to hear higher frequencies than humans. Presumably more than some other Youkai, too. Maybe Eirin had a kind of magical alarm in place only rabbits hear so they could ambush would-be thieves?”

_I knew that lock was too easy._

Shin flies between the other two. “We can discuss it later, we need to move now! Tewi was able to tell we were nearby earlier when we barely made a sound, talking is a liability.”

Seija nods while Sumireko covers her mouth.

_A way out of this would be Sumireko teleporting to somewhere unsuspicious, rejoining the crowd from there, with Shin and I slipping away. But we haven’t found a lead on how to reach the Lunar Capital and we still have our deal with Mokou to cause a distraction. Then there’s the question of what this elixir does._

“For now, get us back to the main crowd,” the amanojaku orders, barely at a whisper. “No talking unless necessary.”

Not needing to be told twice, Sumireko hides her tiny allies underneath her cloak, puts the elixir in her pocket, and teleports a few rooms down to lower their association with the crime scene. They wind up in one of the many lounge areas before Sumireko decides to start the walk back, worrying about drawing suspicion if found warping. She opens the door right as two earth rabbits run up, just as Tewi ordered.

“W-whoa! What’s the rush?” she asks.

“Official business, no need to be concerned,” a short and brown-haired rabbit replies. “Though, if you’re done looking around here, it’d be best to head back to the main exhibit for now.”

“G-got it!”

_She’s not great at faking it, luckily these rabbits are even more dense._

The girl passes through without issue and, despite more rabbits hurrying by, makes it back to the main crowd near the front of Eientei in only five minutes. All around the exhibition hall are items Seija and Shin previously heard described, including an astronaut helmet, a four-wheeled device which Sumireko called a “lunar rover,” and the star-embroidered flag with red and white stripes. Also on display is a shining kimono which Seija recalls Mokou alluding to earlier. The room itself is the largest the duo have seen since arriving. Various tables with mochi dot the room along with a good few places to sit down and enjoy the food while admiring the exhibits. There is a notable amount of unrest among the crowd, the guests seemingly aware that something is amiss. Some are human, many are Youkai, all are aggravated due to the sudden rabbit guards posted at the main exit. Sumireko notices an exchange happening across the room, deciding to approach so she and her accomplices can hear.

“What’s goin’ on?” Marisa Kirisame asks Eirin, the latter relaxed as she sits at a corner table sipping tea while the former stands across from her with folded arms. The ordinary magician wears a blue variant of her standard black and white attire. Her witch hat, buttoned vest, and skirt are all primarily blue with a white bow, accents, and frills respectively. She also has her white blouse, complete with blue bow tie, and apron as well as blue boots with white laces and soles. The usual ribbon in her hair has been forgone this time, her golden locks flowing unencumbered.

“Nothing you should worry over,” says the pharmacist. She gracefully holds her teacup while wearing her red and blue constellation-patterned medical outfit. Her blue hat with a red cross sits atop braided light silver hair.

Hatate Himekaidou, who is next to Marisa, puts a hand on the table. This tengu’s outfit consists of a purple and black checkered skirt, light pink shirt with a purple trim and thin black tie, knee-high black socks, and reddish sandals with purple straps. Her long brown hair is styled into twintails, tied by purple ribbons. “Which is why your rabbits are scrambling? You’re not slick.”

“You came here to write an article on the exhibit, yes? If you wish to keep your chances of an interview with Lady Kaguya, please do not cause a commotion.”

“I have no such stake,” Marisa counters. “It’s part of my job to resolve problems, y’know. If there’s an issue, we can work together. We certainly can’t have anyone here gettin’ hurt.”

“Your offer is noted, Miss Kirisame. Now please, return to the exhibit for the time being.”

The magician and journalist relent and walk away, leaving Eirin to her devices. Kaguya, meanwhile, is speaking to a few visitors about the exhibits as if there is no problem.

Sumireko whispers, “Eirin and Kaguya are putting up a front but no one’s buying it.”

“Kaguya doesn’t look like she’s particularly bothered,” says Shin.

_This is tricky. That elixir could potentially be something huge given the security and names on it; however, our ability to hold onto it would be threatened if we reveal ourselves now for Mokou’s plan. Even if we did get away, Marisa would likely know and it’d get back to Reimu which puts us in hot water. Ugh, where’s the out that lets us all get what we want?_

“Yo, Sumireko!” Marisa calls out, walking over. “You notice all the weird stuff happening?”

“Uh, yeah! Seems suspicious,” the girl answers, twiddling her thumbs.

“Eirin’s bein’ real coy about it. You think there’s some kind of intruder?”

“Couldn’t help overhearing,” Hatate cuts in as she approaches from the side. “I _do_ have a way of finding out. We can even try and catch them if there is one. The three of us working together ups our chances.”

“Are ya sure you aren’t having us do the work for you and then cashing in with an article?” asks Marisa.

“I take offense to that. I’m offering you a helping hand.”

The magician sighs. “Fine, use your thinkography.”

“It’s called ‘thoughtography.’”

_I can feel Sumireko’s shoulder tensing up. Hatate might be able to conjure up pictures of us in Eirin’s office, which puts this girl at risk of trouble. Hmph._

Hatate puts her hand to the brown pouch on her hip but finds it isn’t there. “Huh? Where did-” Looking down, she sees her pouch on the ground. “Odd…”

_I can only accomplish so much hidden under your cloak, take a hint and do something!_

“Um! Actually, I think I saw something earlier while wandering around!” Sumireko blurts out.

Marisa and Hatate turn to the girl, surprised. The former says, “Really? What was it?”

“Reisen and Tewi were panicking around Eirin’s office. I heard them mention an elixir got stolen by an… invisible thief.”

_Mixing in lies with the truth. That’ll throw off Hatate’s thoughtography since it relies on keywords. This girl has flashes of cleverness._

“An invisible thief and elixir? What could-” The magician stops cold, a serious expression replacing her inquisitive one. “Sumireko, this is important: was the elixir called the ‘Ultramarine Orb Elixir’?”

“Uh, I think so? I didn’t mention it before now cause I wasn’t sure on the details and didn’t wanna freak anyone out, haha…”

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me. If someone drinks that, it’ll be a nightmare to take them down.”

_‘Nightmare’? How strong is this thing?_

“What does the elixir do?” Hatate asks.

“Suppose there’s no harm tellin’ y’all,” says Marisa. “The way Eirin described it, the elixir removes ‘the impurity of death’ and allows you to see into the immediate future temporarily. Instead of havin’ to react and dodge that way, you can always know what you need to do in order to win. Someone who can turn invisible drinking it will make them extra slippery.”

This answer leaves all other parties present speechless.

_THAT’S what it does?!_

Sumireko tenses up even more. “Something like that can even exist? I guess it’s to be expected in Gensokyo, but-”

“Calm down, it’s not as bad as you think,” Marisa reassures.

Hatate places a hand on her chin. “Hmm… yeah, now that the initial shock’s passed, I can see the limitations. Being able to see the future would be a massive edge in any fight, but seeing is different from preventing.”

“Exactly. You’re still limited by your own skill. Put someone in a no-win situation and they can’t do anything about it. Plus, there’s a time limit for how long it works. Like most medicine, it’ll eventually wear off.”

“Nice info, Sumireko,” says the crow tengu. “Now that we know what was stolen, we might be able to lord this information over Eirin to get more out of her.”

“Worth a shot, I guess.”

The investigating pair go back to Eirin, who even from Sumireko’s distance seems surprised and confused by what they’re saying.

“Good going,” whispers Shin, who was unable to do anything prior.

“We know what the elixir does now and we have double confirmation between Mokou and the letter that Lunarians from the capital visit here regularly,” Seija responds, reviewing their progress.

_But still nothing on how to get to the capital._

Sumireko says, “You better uphold your end of the deal with Mokou after I stuck my neck out.”

“No one ever asked you-”

_…Mokou definitely saw this all coming. Her familiarity with Eientei and Sumireko is too big. She knew how we’d get in with Shin’s mallet, she knew we’d be unable to cover enough ground with the time limit she gave, and she knew Sumireko’s curiosity would get the better of her. This was a multi-layered set-up. And there was no reason for her to go that far either; if we ran out of time we would have just done our end and left it at that. But she wanted to repay us for helping her by using Sumireko._

“Seija, you alright?” Shin asks.

“I’ll explain later, right now we need to follow through. We’re going to make a huge scene and get all the rabbits in this mansion focused on us. Sumireko, lay low and you should get out of this without being found out.”

_That immortal will get what she asked for. If my read on her is right, I think I know exactly what she'll do from here._

“It was fun sneaking around, glad I don’t have to be worried about being found out anymore. And I feel bad lying to Marisa,” says Sumireko, relieved.

Seija stifles an evil smile and puts on her nicest face. “There is one more thing I’d like you to do for us, _Sumi_.”

“Huh?” Sumireko perks up hearing the amanojaku call her that. “Sure, what is it?”

“We can’t have you be found with the elixir nor can Shin and I get away with drinking it; not to mention it’d be a waste. So give it to us before we split up and we’ll make sure the rabbits get it back. That’ll clear all three of us.”

“If you really think that’ll work, okay!”

_Having someone naïve nearby always makes things easier._

Seija feels her hidden sword-shard necklace against her chest.

_Just don’t get cocky._

They begin moving towards a bathroom so they can split up unseen; two rabbits stand guard outside it but do not think anything is wrong when seeing Sumireko walk up. “I’ll teleport you outside so we’re not seen having come from the same place,” she whispers.

“We’ll wait to become big again after you leave, just set the elixir down before you go,” Seija explains.

“Got it!”

As fast as she can, Sumireko warps them to the area between the manor and the outside wall before just as quickly disappearing with a thumbs up, leaving behind the elixir.

“Now tell me your _actual_ plan since I know you weren’t telling her the whole truth,” says Shin.

“I knew you’d realize. Quick, before patrols walk by, let me see the sheathe for your needle.”

The inchling pulls off the sheathe strapped to her back and takes her needle out of it. “What do you need it for?”

* * *

The guests get ever antsier in the exhibition hall as they are still not allowed to leave the room. Marisa, Hatate, and Eirin’s discussion has reached a point of aggravation for all of them between the secrets and false information. Sumireko walks in, returning from the bathroom, and all three’s gazes turn to her.

“Sumi, are you sure you heard Reisen and Tewi right?” Marisa asks. “Eirin gave up that the elixir was stolen but keeps sayin’ she doesn’t know what the deal on the ‘invisible’ thief you mentioned is.”

“I-I thought that’s what they said! Maybe I misheard them?” Sumireko lies, sweat forming on the back of her neck.

“I highly doubt that, Miss Usami,” says Eirin. “Especially because I made sure they wouldn’t specify the elixir’s name in case of theft should anyone unrelated be eavesdropping; information is a powerful resource. Yet you told Miss Kirisame that you _did_ know the name. The only way that would be possible is if you read the label, which is on the vial itself.”

Hatate’s eyes narrow. “That would also explain why I couldn’t get any clear pictures with my camera.”

“Sumi, if there’s a problem, it’s okay to tell us,” says Marisa gently, putting a hand on the nervous girl's shoulder. “I know you wouldn’t do somethin’ actively malicious on your own accord.”

“I-I, but-”

While she fumbles over her words, a distressed rabbit runs up and says, “Lady Yagokoro, I’m very sorry to bother you, but-”

Eirin puts a hand up. “Calm down, come closer, and tell me what’s happened.” The rabbit whispers her report into Eirin’s ear. “It seems this girl is innocent after all, just lacking in her ability to parse words. The thieves have been located and are currently engaged with security.”

“‘Thieves’ as in more than one? Who are they?!” Marisa demands to know.

“This is an internal matter and I would have you not get involved. If you must occupy yourself, please make sure no harm befalls the rest of the guests should the culprits decide to make a move in here.”

“Can you _please_ stop being so difficult and tell us what’s going on?” asks Hatate. “We are trying to help you.”

The pharmacist lets out a large sigh. “If you absolutely insist, it’s-” She stops short, eyes wide as she glances towards the front door. The rest of them turn to where Eirin looks: strutting in through the front door without a care is Fujiwara no Mokou. Many of the guests do not pay her any mind, as knowledge of her true nature is not widely known.

She walks over to Kaguya, currently on a tea break between explanations of exhibits, and says, “Yo. You know why I’m here. I assume you wanna take it outside.”

“Must you be so crass? This day does not come very often and I would rather it not be sullied by your presence.”

“You’ll just have to get rid of me, then.”

The princess smiles darkly. “Fine. No need to make a scene in here.”

They casually walk out of the room, only a few in the crowd even noticing.

“I have my own matters I must attend to now,” Eirin says before leaving with the rabbit.

“I’ll find out the truth of this no matter what!” Hatate declares. “Be sure to keep the guests safe, you two!” She follows Mokou and Kaguya before Marisa can stop her.

“Everything’s always so fun here!” says Sumireko, unable to contain her excitement for the intrigue around her.

Marisa, mentally drained because of the nonsense she has dealt with tonight, responds, “Fun for one of us, maybe. Ugh, I wish Reimu had agreed to come.”

* * *

_How many of these things are there?_

Seija and Shin, the latter dual-wielding her needle and Miracle Mallet, dodge and knock out the latest batch of rabbits that came at them with liberal use of danmaku. They are still surrounded by dozens more about fifty meters diagonally up and away from Eientei.

_I’m surprised that Reisen and Tewi haven’t shown up yet. I want to lead them further away than this._

“Let’s take out all these bit players at once, Shin,” says Seija. “Maybe that’ll get their leaders’ attention.”

“Got it. Ready?”

They nod to each other.

“Reverse Sign - Evil in the Mirror!”

“Mallet - Grow Even Bigger!”

All the enemy rabbits attempt to scramble, however they keep running into each other as Seija mirrors left and right for the whole area while raining bullets down. Shin’s spell card creates such massive danmaku that there is no safe zone the discombobulated bunch can reach in time. They all fall to the ground, defeated.

“That was lame, I honestly expected at least a bit more resistance,” says Shin.

A voice behind them says, “Then please allow me!”

“That voice- Seija, don’t turn around!”

The warning comes too late as the amanojaku is already in the process of reacting to the voice. She sees Reisen looking directly at her, the rabbit’s eyes glowing bright red.

“Weak Heart - Demotivation.”

Seija’s entire sense of orientation and train of thought are utterly derailed, barely able to form a coherent sentence.

_I… what…? What’s going on?_

“Surrender, now!” Reisen demands, pointing her bunny gun at the pair.

“Like we’d listen to that!” Shin counters. Ensuring no eye contact is made, she rushes Reisen with her weapons, forcing the latter on the defensive. Without a word, she maintains distance and returns fire to stifle Shin’s approach. The inchling proves very evasive and dodges all of Reisen’s counterattacks, much to her annoyance. On the flip side, Shin is not gaining any meaningful ground.

_Focus… focus…!_

Seija, still wobbly, lines up a shot at Reisen while Shin distracts her.

_Now!_

A thin stream of bullets hones in on Seija’s adversary. They do not meet their mark, however; Tewi flies in and grabs her colleague out of the way in the nick of time. Shin backs off and checks on her partner.

“You gotta keep your head on a swivel,” says Tewi, very relaxed.

“Seija recovered faster than I thought she would,” Reisen admits. “Makes sense that disorienting someone who overturns perceptions all the time wouldn’t be as effective.”

Shin places a hand on Seija’s head. “You alright?”

“Sorry for letting myself fall for that.”

“I don’t care as long as you’re okay.”

_Heh. Can’t think of anything worse than having someone always watching my back yet I’m getting all sappy._

Both duos get into fighting stances.

_Reisen’s a nuisance, all it takes is one mistake and we’ll be incapacitated. Tewi will see through any shallow trick. We need to outlast them until it’s the right time, but taking our chances in a straight fight is dicey and more rabbits could show up. But what do we have that could surprise or counter them? Using the elixir would be a waste, beyond that I don’t have-_

Memories come flooding back to Seija; memories of how a previous adversary was able to fight against confusion and illusion. She places a fist over her hidden necklace.

 _It had to be_ **_that_** _, huh? I never wanted to use this thing. I despise what it represents._

“Oh man, now there are two errand rabbits?” Seija calls out. “Whatever will we do? They might throw mochi at us!”

“Big talk coming from someone who lost the moment she looked at me!” yells Reisen.

“You would’ve gotten shot in the back had your little friend not bailed you out. What makes you believe I didn’t _want_ you to think I was beaten?”

“That’s absurd, your partner warned you!”

Shin, getting a feel for Seija’s intent, says, “How dense can you even be? It’s called _lying_. We’d never let ourselves get caught off guard by someone like you.”

Doubt begins to form in Reisen’s face. “Th-there’s no way you planned that!”

“Calm down, they’re trying to rile you up,” Tewi warns. “It doesn’t matter if they’re telling the truth or not. Take it from me, it’s not hard to get you to doubt yourself.”

_I had a feeling she’d interject. But it’s too late; the seed is already placed in Reisen’s head. Just gotta help it grow!_

“If you’re so confident in yourself, try messing with my head again! I’ll look right into those big ol’ red eyes of yours!” Seija taunts.

_Either way, we’ve got the advantage. Either she doesn’t take the bait and actively handicaps herself for the fight or-_

“Fine, fine! You’re on!” Reisen yells.

_-she walks headlong into a trap._

The rabbit’s eyes shift from red to purple and massive waves emit from her body, creating an ultraviolet field that surrounds Seija specifically. From the amanojaku’s perspective, two clones of Reisen appear next to the original and they rush her.

Tewi shrugs. “Guess this is how we’re doing it today,” she says before flying around to flank Seija and Shin.

“I’ll head off Tewi,” Shin whispers. “I don’t know what your plan is, but I trust you’ve got this.”

If the battlefield is a sphere, Seija floats in the center. Reisen approaches her from the front, gun at the ready, and constantly switches positions with her clones well past the point Seija could ever guess which one is real. From the side, Tewi flies around with Shin going to meet her as they begin exchanging fire. The space between Seija and Reisen shrinks by the millisecond, both preparing their attacks.

_I need to land a solid hit that will buy us time. A spell card would take too long for what I’m trying to do, just a single stream of bullets should do it. Wait for it…!_

All three Reisens raise their guns.

_The original sword can only be wielded by a Konpaku, so this is a gamble. She gave me this shard willingly so hopefully I can at least use it. This better work, Youmu!_

Seija pulls out her necklace made of a shard of Hakurouken and nicks her left arm with it. She instantly feels a massive headache and can barely keep her thoughts straight. The action causes Reisen momentary pause, shocked by the odd maneuver; as the rabbit hesitates, Seija sees the clones collapse into a single being on the right.

“FALL!”

A swift and precise danmaku strike, faster than Reisen can react to under the circumstances, hits her square in the forehead. She yelps out in pain before plummeting towards the forest.

About a dozen meters away, Tewi shows genuine concern for the first time all day before saying, “How did she-?!”

“Your fight’s with me!” Shin shouts as she rockets towards the White Hare of Inaba, swinging the Miracle Mallet with great force.

“Runaway Rabbit - Fluster Escape!”

Mere moments before Shin’s attack can make contact, a veritable explosion of danmaku comes from Tewi. Fourteen curved streams of red bullets shoot out in all directions, flying all over the sky. The inchling is only able to evade by shrinking herself with the Miracle Mallet and using her small size to find gaps that would otherwise not be present at such close range. Tewi takes the opportunity to retreat and catch Reisen before she hits the trees, the whole exchange from Seija’s attack to now only encompassing a few seconds. Seija, for her part, is still recovering from using Hakurouken’s shard on herself and is too sluggish to intercept Tewi. The white rabbit goes below the trees to escape their opponents’ line of sight temporarily.

“Seija, what did you even do?! That was incredible!” Shin cheers.

“I busted out a trick I was hoping I wouldn’t need to use; I’ll explain the rest later. That attack won’t be enough to keep Reisen down for long.”

“But you bought us more time and that’s what matters.”

As they discuss, they spy far off a small light burning above Eientei.

“It’s starting,” says Seija. “We need to get Reisen and Tewi away before they notice.”

The duo flies down into the forest but does not see either of the rabbits.

_Where did they go? Did she really recover that fast?_

Carefully treading the ground, Seija sees a dark patch of grass.

_That grass isn’t burnt. In fact, it looks like a person’s-_

“Shin, get down!”

She tackles her partner to the ground as a flurry of bullets from Reisen’s gun fly by. At this point Seija notices, despite how dark it is amidst the bamboo at night, that the area is more red than is natural.

_This is another of Reisen’s abilities!_

“We need to run, it’s her ultrared field!” yells Shin. “She’s making herself and all the other rabbits invisible!”

_That’s where all the ones we beat earlier went!_

They take off sprinting before transitioning to flying, the dozens of rabbits revealing themselves behind them. Many wield mallets as Tewi leads them while Reisen flies up, presumably to catch any attempts of escaping over the forest. The speed of the rabbits outmatches that of Seija and Shin.

“Seija, they’re gaining on us!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know!” Seija responds, exasperated and beginning to panic. Her unfamiliarity with the forest annoys her further.

_This place is way too hard to navigate! I realize “Lost” is in the name but come on!_

Soon they reach a clearing where more rabbits await them on the other side. Tewi’s gang approaches from behind.

“That was quite a chase!” says Tewi, jovial over how fun her quarry has proven to be. “Looks like the end of the line.”

Reisen descends from above the clearing, her bangs covering the bruise Seija’s attack left on her forehead. “I don’t like how much fun you seem to be having. These Youkai are dangerous.”

“I know for a fact you’ve fraternized with the inchling before,” Tewi rebuts, her expression very smug.

“Forcible possession and small talk hardly constitutes ‘fraternizing’!”

While they argue, Shin whispers to Seija, “They’ve got us cornered, any bright ideas?”

“Ask them nicely to let us go?”

“Very funny.”

It is at that moment a burst of light above the forest catches everyone’s attention. A flame in the shape of a phoenix spreads its wings in the night sky, causing all present to feel awestruck. Seija makes out a small twinkle in the aftermath that steadily approaches the clearing; it is, in fact, not a twinkle but rather Mokou and Kaguya, both limp, hurtling to the earth at obscene speed. Their bodies tear through the tops of nearby bamboo and a few rabbits run to dodge them colliding with the ground with a massive _crash_ , unearthing a good amount of dirt. They each have dozens of cuts and scorch marks all over their clothes and skin, but the latter heals in moments. In a few seconds, both sit up. Mokou stretches her arms above her body while Kaguya runs a hand through her hair.

“Ah, it always feels good to kill you, but that was even better than usual,” says Mokou.

Kaguya responds, “You utterly lack class. I shan’t forgive you for depriving me this special night.”

“Oh shut it, you already won’t forgive me for a dozen other things.”

“L-lady Kaguya?!” Reisen says, utterly confused at this turn of events.

“Inaba, it is good to see you,” says Kaguya, much less annoyed than most would be after being killed and resurrected. “Please escort me back to the mansion now that this welp is satisfied.”

“But- you- Seija-!”

“Udongein, it is alright,” says Eirin, emerging from the bamboo brush while holding her bow and arrow. “This was all a ploy by Mokou. The amanojaku and inchling were simply her accomplices to distract you and Tewi so she might get Lady Kaguya alone. They have no idea what they even took from my office barring the name.”

Mokou stands up, brushing dirt off her pants. “Yep, Eirin’s got the gist. I went to the Shining Needle Castle to enlist their help for this, they agreed to cause they thought it’d be fun. But that’s all they did, so no need to punish ‘em since no harm was done to any of the guests, right?”

_Heh, she really is covering for us. I guessed she would but had no way of knowing for sure._

“If Lady Kaguya has no objections?”

“The two intruders do not concern me,” says the princess. “If anything, I’m thankful that they showed us the flaws in our security.”

Eirin nods. “Agreed. We’ll need to redouble your training, Udongein. Tewi can handle whipping the other rabbits into shape.”

Reisen lowers her head, dejected, before walking with Kaguya back to Eientei. Tewi rallies the rabbits and they all return as well, leaving behind Seija, Shin, Mokou, and Eirin.

“Now for the matter of the Ultramarine Orb Elixir. Return it to me. Now.”

“Hmph,” Seija grunts. She pulls out the stand the four vials are in and hands it over the pharmacist. Just as she found them, two are empty and two are full. No corks look like they have been pulled out, either.

“You did not drink any?”

“Nope. You can check my blood or whatever if you don’t believe me. What’s the deal with it anyway? Why the security? And if it’s so important, why only a simple lock?”

“I believe you. I will decline to answer the former two questions, but I will grant you an answer to the third: you would be amazed how many Youkai get befuddled by purely mechanical devices. They deal in the mystical and supernatural; any technology beyond the basics can cause them issues. Any that would not have issues are not the types to be sneaking around a mansion as thieves. Or so I thought; I admit I underestimated your capabilities if Youkai on your level actually managed to break in without damaging the drawer. Of course, I have contingencies as you experienced.”

_Extremely arrogant and pretentious way of going about it, she just wanted someone to break in so they’d feel smug before being blindsided by the high-frequency alarm._

“But that’s enough excitement for one night, eh?” Mokou interrupts. “You two should head home before Marisa hears about this. You’ll probably be in Hatate’s paper tomorrow too, so laying low for a while might be smart. I’ll head back to Eientei and let Marisa and Sumireko know you were following my instructions.”

_Without missing a beat, she covers for Sumireko as well._

Mokou and Eirin walk off, the former holding up her hand to say goodbye without even turning around.

“She played the whole crowd perfectly,” Shin observes.

“Tch, I’m sure she feels real smug, getting everything she wants and even having the gall to help us when we didn’t ask for it.”

“Guess she respected us enough to do that.”

_Well Mokou’s dreaming if she ever expects me to admit it’s mutual._

Unbeknownst to anyone, a certain crow tengu flies away without making a sound.

* * *

The duo eat a late dinner at the Shining Needle Castle, famished following the day’s events.

“I really can’t say it enough,” Shin begins, leaning against a corked bottle her size containing a miniscule amount of liquid matching that of the Ultramarine Orb Elixir, “your idea with the elixir was brilliant.”

“It’s obvious when you’ve uncorked any kind of vial or bottle and there was no way of getting any major amount of the elixir out without Eirin noticing the discrepancy. So shrink the cork with your mallet, pour a super tiny amount into your needle’s still small sheathe, hide it during the fight, and increase the stolen elixir’s size afterwards whenever we choose to use it. Your sheathe was the only thing we had that could act as a container so it was the best choice.”

“A little seeped into it, though. Because of how we did it, we’ll need to be wary of how we use this. Should my mallet ever lose power again, all the things whose sizes have changed will go back to normal. If you ingest something and it’s still in your system when it shrinks, it’ll be like you only consumed the originally small portion. Not to mention the risks of making something bigger if we get careless.”

“Just make sure you avoid creating more tsukumogami and it should be fine.”

“Easy for you to say,” says the inchling before taking a big sip of her drink.

Seija drinks a bit of her own. “Yeah, yeah it is.”

“You’re terrible sometimes, you know that?”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere.”

They share a laugh.

“Guess we’ll be stuck here for a while until tonight’s fallout blows over.”

“We’ve laid low before, this won’t be anything new,” Seija responds.

“True enough. So, how about explaining to me that stunt you pulled with Reisen now?”

“I was always intending on telling you about this, just wasn’t sure when.” The amanojaku reveals and takes off her necklace, placing it on the table. “This is a shard of Hakurouken, Youmu’s ancestral sword. If you’ll recall, it’s able to cut through any kind of illusion or confusion.”

“Is this the shard she used to-”

“Yeah. She gave it to me last I saw her as a reminder of what happened. I hate having to feel that thing around my neck everyday. One day I’ll be returning it.”

“You using the word ‘hate’ in a negative context like that is rare.”

Seija looks away, bothered by the memories gazing at the shard stirs up. “But yeah, that’s what happened. I used it and momentarily saw through Reisen’s illusions, allowing me to hit her.”

“I can tell having this shard bothers you a lot, so I’m happy you chose to share it with me. We can bear the burden together since we lost together. And we’ll return it together, too.”

“You’re getting too good at cheering me up, it’s unnatural.”

“Amanojaku and inchlings both go against the grain in their own ways. I figure there’s some common ground there.”

_It’s more than that. You get me in an uncanny way._

“To change the subject,” says Seija, lacking any subtlety in deflecting her embarrassment, “we made meaningful progress today. We still haven’t found a way to the Lunar Capital but acquired an extremely powerful tool. We’ll be unbeatable if we can also get my tools back and combine them with the elixir.”

“Are you saying you wanna shoot for those next?”

“Unsure, we need to hash out our next step. Luckily there isn’t any kind of rush.”

“For now I say we relax for the next week or so,” Shin says before getting more of her drink. “We earned it. And I dare say we made some allies today.”

“What, you mean Mokou and Sumireko?”

“Neither are exactly on our side so to speak, but we could swing it that Mokou owes us a favor plus Sumireko seems to like nearly everyone. You just sweet-talked her a bit and suddenly she was willing to follow what you said despite what happened between us.”

“Ha! ‘Sweet-talked’ implies I had to put _effort_ into it. She’s somehow simultaneously clever and extremely gullible.”

“And she’s good in a fight, don’t forget. If we can use her, that’d be a boon. Her abilities bailed us out multiple times today.”

“I can’t disagree with that.”

“Anyway, want a refill?”

Downing the rest of her beverage, Seija nods.

_Moukou and Sumi helping us reach for the Moon, huh? Maybe- Did I just call her ‘Sumi’?_

A slight headache forms in her skull.

_C’mon, Seija, you know worse than that._

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, huge thanks to @R_cansuke_MS on Twitter for accepting my commission of the art you see above (main key art to this chapter December 20th, 2020, bonus drawing added February 15th, 2021). Consider commissioning them via Skeb: https://skeb.jp/@R_cansuke_MS
> 
> Let it be known I published this less than half an hour before midnight my time on Saturday; I am nothing if not *technically* correct in the deadlines I set for myself. In all seriousness, the end of this chapter went through several rewrites that delayed its release. I'll likely talk more about this at a later time. Regardless, for everyone who reads these as they come out, thank you for waiting. I honestly don't have a ton to say about this chapter due to it being part two of the previous, but there are still some key points. Eirin is a character I have a hard time getting a solid read on, so I went with my gut. She's smart but arrogant in her knowledge and I figured the lock being an exercise in her perceived superiority over Earth's Youkai was a good way of going about it. Kaguya didn't get to do too much, but I honestly had a ton of fun describing the tail end of her and Mokou's encounter. I want to maintain a certain level of not depicting too much graphic violence; Mokou and Kaguya literally kill each other nearly every day. I decided the compromise would be to describe the ending from a distance and then show the aftermath, leaving details to the reader's imagination. Marisa and Hatate, necessarily, weren't allowed in on the action. But they provided good impetus for certain developments and their presence here may have ramifications later on. The most fun part of this chapter for me was working towards the previous chapter's opening. An "in medias res" (literally meaning "in the midst of things") style opening followed by a "how we got here" story is a trope I'm iffy on but wanted to attempt at least once. I hope the pieces falling to place, as rudimentary as it might be, was fun to experience for readers as well. The way Seija and Shin got away with stealing a bit of the elixir is another thing I'm happy with. I also dropped more overt references to this story's predecessor, "Trip to an Outdated Hell," here. I can safely say that, going forward, more spoilers regarding that story are liable to be dropped and, if you care about reading it and haven't done so already, it should be read before proceeding further. Relatedly, I'm not sure if it will be next chapter or not, but soon I will stop tagging characters for this story to avoid interface spoilers. In general, I don't think these last two chapters were anything groundbreaking for me, but at the same time it was a fun vehicle to explore some different ideas and potentially improve my style. As always, thank you very much for reading and have a fantastic day/night.


	5. ydospahR hsiramthgiN

“Ugh… I had one too many drinks last night.”

Seija sits up from where she was unconscious, finding herself in a seemingly endless prairie with clear blue skies above. Only more grass as far as the eye can see.

_Where am I? Last I remember, I was with Shin at the castle…_

Standing up, she starts walking. Her environment does not change no matter how far she goes.

_What kind of place is this? Am I still in Gensokyo?_

Her mind wanders the same way her legs do.

_There’s no one here. The weather’s completely calm. Nothing to see, nothing to do… Not even Shin’s here… What’s wrong with me? I need to find a way back!_

For the first time since waking up, the amanojaku feels a sense of direction. Her efforts quickly prove fruitless, however, when she falls to the ground after trying to fly.

_Huh?_

Every attempt, each more desperate than the last, meets the same fate. No matter how much she wills it, Seija is stuck on the earth below.

_Why can’t I fly? What the heck is going on?!_

She calls upon her powers to flip the endless expanse around her. It refuses to budge.

“That’s… that’s impossible. Why isn’t anything working?!” she frustratedly screams into the sky.

Seija is not sure what to do when she spies a figure in the distance. Slowly approaching, she realizes the one standing in the middle of the field is Shin. The amanojaku is relieved and runs to her partner.

“Shin, finally!” says Seija while approaching. “Do you know where we are?”

The inchling does not respond. Also, despite how much Seija runs, no more distance is being closed between them.

“What the-? Shin! Do you know what’s going on? Come on over here!”

As though in response to Seija’s words, Shin begins walking away.

“Where are you going? Come back!”

Shin breaks into a run.

“Wait, please! Don’t leave!”

A sudden gale storm picks up ahead of Seija, despite there not being a cloud in the sky. The sheer force of winds causes ripples in the grass. She closes her eyes and braces herself before being blasted away.

“WAAAHHHH- OW!”

Everything is calm. Seija opens her eyes and finds herself in her room at the Shining Needle Castle. Looking around, she realizes she is lying on the room’s floor, the usually inverted area reversed which ironically makes it appear normal. Her futon is upside down next to her while her blanket is half a meter away from its counterpart, jumbled up. 

_I… I must’ve flipped the room in my sleep._

The back of her head and body is sore from presumably slamming into the floor. She reverts the room to its normal state and floats down, taking a seat on her corrected mattress.

“Hey, is everything alright?!” Shin calls out before rushing inside. Her outfit is pink sleepwear similar to her normal kimono. “I heard a scream!”

The amanojaku responds, “Sorry, somehow managed to invert the room while asleep. I hit my head on the floor pretty hard.”

_She doesn’t need to know about the dream._

“Oh my gosh, are you alright? Let me check!” says a concerned Shin. She walks around to Seija’s back before the latter can object and carefully examines the back of her head, gingerly moving Seija’s hair when needed. “Was it just your head you hit?”

“My whole back also took the impact but seriously, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“While luckily I don’t see any major injuries, saying you’re ‘fine’ is an overstatement with this bruise on your head. I’m sure the rest of you is aching, too. Lay down, I’ll be back with some ice and food; luckily I had just started making breakfast.”

Shin runs out, leaving Seija alone with nothing to do but comply with her wishes.

_Well this is fantastic. I’ve never had this happen before, it has to be because of the dream and how vivid it felt. But it’s over, so time to move on._

Just like she promised, Shin returns with a cushioned bag of ice and a light breakfast with tea. “Here, I’ll help you sit up.”

“I’m not suddenly incapable of moving, it’s just a bump that’ll be gone in a few days,” says Seija, taking and holding the ice to her head. “You don’t need to treat me like I’m helpless.”

“Er, sorry. It’s just…” the inchling trails off.

“Just what?”

“I had never heard you yell like that before. It sounded like you were terrified, so I panicked.”

_That’s…_

“You probably misheard,” says Seija, her tone uncharacteristically comforting. “I bet it happened because of how much I drank last night. Heck, I don’t even remember coming back to my room.”

Shin breathes a sigh of relief. “Well, as long as you’re okay. And that’s not surprising, I had to help you walk here.” Her expression turns mischievous. “You were so drunk last night that you told me _all about_ your dark secrets.”

Seija’s face becomes crimson. “I-I, what?! T-there’s gotta be some-”

“Pft, hahaha! I’m joking! But I couldn’t resist teasing you about it. Though, given your reaction, was there something specific you had in mind?”

“Oh shut up!”

The inchling’s childlike laughter only gets stronger. “I’d ask if I went too far, but I know you excel at holding on in the face of such _terrible_ adversity, right? Truly a rebel against oppression.”

“Hmph,” Seija grunts with defiance.

_Even when serious or upset, she’s never far away from messing with someone. Always wanting to get a leg up on those around her, it’s no wonder we work together so well._

The duo’s eventful morning lasts quite a while as they eat breakfast in Seija’s room. It manages to put the amanojaku’s mind at ease following her dreadful dream.

_It’s been nearly a week since we got released from Former Hell community service. I’m gl- well, Shin’s being here has made sure I don’t lose my edge. We decided on a week of downtime last night, but…_

“Hey,” Seija begins, “is there anything _you_ wanna do? Since my idea is on hold and you’ve been looking out for me a lot, I figure I should return the favor.”

“Oh? Hmm…” muses Shin.

“Ain’t gotta be anything fancy. We’ve got plenty of free time since we need to stay under the radar. Both sabotaging the dango festival and sneaking into Eientei within six days after being freed is pushing it.”

“I agree, it’s just weird hearing you say it.”

_Can’t say the shock’s unwarranted._

Continuing, Shin says, “Give me some time to think about it. It’s been one thing after another recently so I haven’t given more leisurely activities much consideration.”

“Let me know when you decide.”

Following their long and impromptu breakfast, the rest of their day is the most relaxing they have experienced since prior to their Former Hell plan. Lounging around the castle and making small talk are the most exciting events that transpire, not that either mind. The day passes them by quickly and soon it comes time for bed. Shin, out of lingering worry, makes sure Seija does not drink prior to sleeping. The latter stares at the floor of her room while lying on her futon after retiring for the day.

_Shin never gave me an answer, I’ll pester her more tomorrow._

Similar thoughts fill her mind as she drifts off to sleep.

* * *

“Wait, please! Don’t leave!” Seija calls out in anguish.

Like clockwork, her nightmare from the previous night plays out the same way. Soon the gale storm picks up. Seija, for her part, does not process she is dreaming nor that she has experienced these events before.

_Where is this coming from? There isn’t a cloud in the sky!_

The wind pushes her back; however, before she is completely blown away, a recent memory flashes in her mind. She pictures a smiling Shin saying, “You excel at holding on in the face of such _terrible_ adversity, right?” Without thinking, Seija grips the grass on the ground to help anchor herself and weather the storm.

 _Grass shouldn’t have been able to support my whole body weight. That’s not natural._ _  
__..._ _  
__Wait, what do I care? I need to catch Shin!_

She picks herself back up and charges forward to catch up to her friend slowly vanishing over the horizon.

“I don’t know who’s doing this,” Seija yells, “but you’ll need way more than a breeze to stop me!”

Her advance is met by another gust, almost like it is responding to Seija’s words, though this time she keeps her footing.

“How… do ya… like… that?” she says, pausing with every step.

Finally gaining ground, Seija gets closer to Shin. But right before she catches up, she hears a sound not unlike metal scraping the ground before the earth between them cracks. It then splits wide open, creating a chasm Seija could never hope to cross on foot.

_Is this some kind of twisted joke?!_

Despair creeps up on her, causing her not to notice the piece of ground she stands on giving way before both it and she plummet into the abyss.

“AHHHHH!”

The endless ravine morphs into the walls of her room as she wakes up from the fall, instinctively catching herself before hitting the wall like the previous day. Seija’s body has broken out into a cold sweat and she pants heavily.

“What in the… that’s the second time.”

She looks around to see her room once again flipped upside down. Unlike yesterday, it is still dark outside Seija’s window when she is forcibly awakened.

_I can’t tell exactly what time it is, though judging by how dark it is and when I went to bed it’ll probably be at least another three or so hours until sunrise. Seems I was lucky enough to not have Shin hear me this time. But seriously, what is this dream? Why am I having it? No matter what I do, I can’t seem to catch up to her. Am I… afraid of losing her?_

Seija is too shaken to fall back asleep.

* * *

Around an hour past dawn, Shin sleepily walks to the kitchen to prepare another breakfast for a new day. She is met by Seija already at work, slaving away at the counter with her back turned.

“Yo. Woke up before you so I got started already,” says the amanojaku.

“Wow, not often you’re up so early,” Shin says as she rubs her eyes. “Thanks!”

“Did you think more about what I asked you?”

“Yeah. An idea crossed my mind last night, but I need to confirm it by going to the village first. I was gonna buy more food anyway since we were running low, so it works out.”

Seija, holding a tray with two bowls of rice and miso soup and a pot of tencha tea, moves over to and sits down at the table. “You’re heading out later today, then?”

“Uh-huh, I-” Shin stops once she sees her partner’s face. “Did you sleep alright? You look exhausted.”

The lines under Seija’s eyes are very pronounced, an expected result following one night of disturbed rest and a second that got cut short.

_Was hoping she wouldn’t notice._

“I’m more than alright. It’s only because I woke up early.”

“You didn’t hit the wall again, did you?”

“Nope.”

While Seija is technically telling the truth, it is obvious by Shin’s furrowed brow that she believes there is more to the story. Her eyes see right through Seija, who does her best to keep a straight face. The room’s tension is palpable.

“…Okay.”

_Finally, she relented. Wasn’t sure how long I could keep that up with the look on her face._

Their conversation eventually goes back to business as usual, though a weight looms over them.

After both finish eating, Shin asks, “Any food requests while I’m out?”

“I’d love some more dango. Haven’t had enough recently.”

The inchling grins and rolls her eyes. “I'll make sure we don’t have any for a while, then.”

Seija sees her partner to the castle’s entrance and waves goodbye. She notes the clouds rolling in from the north.

_We might be getting some rain._

After Shin leaves, Seija is listless while wandering the castle with nothing to do. It is while walking through one of its many inverted corridors that her mind drifts.

_I can’t hide the truth from her forever. If it happens a third time, my face will be all the proof she needs._

Rain faintly patters against the castle walls.

 _I’ve never had nightmares before, let alone recurring ones. Did something cause this? Surely it’s not purely because I ca- er, Shin’s been my partner for a while. Doesn’t make sense for this to only start now. We’ve been in danger before, especially recently in Former Hell. And we’re not like those dysfunctional Komeiji sisters who can’t even protect each other. They needed Youmu to bail them out._ _  
__…_ _  
__Ugh… We were the ones who put Koishi at risk, so it’s unfair to say that. Wait, what the hell am I saying? Since when do I care about what’s fair?_

A sharp headache rapidly grows in Seija’s head as she thinks. “Urgh…!”

_The lack of sleep must be getting to me._

While attempting to get her head straight, she hears a loud _thud_ above her. It is followed by smaller taps that stick out amongst the sound of rain.

_The heck is that?_

Seija finds the nearest window and flies out to get on top of the castle where the sound originates. Waiting for her is a short and sopping wet young woman. Her hair is long and blue while her eyes are red. Her outfit includes a white blouse and red bow at the collar, a blue skirt featuring a cloud pattern with a white apron over it, a rainbow of shards linked around the skirt, and brown laced boots. Most distinctly, her hat is black and adorned with leaves and peaches. Seija knows exactly who stands before her: Tenshi Hinanawi. The celestial’s large keystone lies on the ground next to her.

_That rock was the loud sound._

“What are you doing here?” Seija asks, her own hair and outfit quickly becoming drenched.

“Oh do you live here now? I haven’t visited in over three years,” says Tenshi nonchalantly. “I was bored, so I came down here. Wasn’t sure where to go since Shion said she’d be busy today and there isn’t anything fun going on like a festival at Reimu’s shrine.”

“Shin mentioned working with you before during the Perfect Possession incident. Is that why you chose to visit?”

Tenshi walks over, unconcerned with the weather. “Pretty much. That inchling is interesting in her own way and I’ve only seen her a few times since that happened. She knows how to have a fun time, like the fireworks festival.”

“But you only participated during Reimu’s portion.”

“Yeah, but I can appreciate quality danmaku as much as the next person. Was a bit disappointed at first when they told me it was only play stuff.”

_I do recall her using real danmaku before the judges told her to stop._

Still bothered by her headache, an impatient Seija asks, “So what now? We amuse you until you’re done with us?”

“Are you complaining? You should feel honored that a celestial deigns to be in your presence. Or would you try to get rid of me?” says the confident gal. She pulls out a round-ended sword hilt from behind her back. “We still have a small score to settle after you escaped me last we dueled. I don’t see any of those tools you had before on you, so I’ll use ‘fair’ spell cards to keep it on the level.”

_Just what I needed, a spoiled brat with too much power and time on her hands._

“Look, peaches, I’d love to babysit you, but let’s not today. Shin isn’t here, either. Scurry on home or I might have to call your mommy and daddy.”

The Sword of Hisou alights in Tenshi’s hand, emitting an orange glow around her that highlights the passing raindrops. Her face bears a smile of ill-intent. “If your goal is to make me mad, congratulations. You’ll regret making light of me.”

“Y’know what?” Seija begins as she stretches her arms in front of her. “Screw it. I’ve been in a weird mood all day. Putting a celestial in her place should turn that right over!”

“Let’s see if someone as weak as you can even last without any cheating!”

They hop and fly away from each other in sync to gain distance before letting out mutual volleys of danmaku. The bullets clash and explode amidst the rain, briefly rendering both combatants unable to see each other.

_I didn’t plan on fighting anyone and I don’t have any backup. No tools or anything to speak of. And Tenshi isn’t someone to take lightly even if she’s arrogant._

Breaking right, Seija attempts to catch Tenshi unaware with a side attack. She finds that her opponent is not there, however.

_Where-_

A large keystone hurtles down from above, Seija barely dodging in time.

“Still as slippery as I remember!” Tenshi calls out.

“Are you sure it’s me being slippery or are you just an idiot?”

Tenshi descends from above Seija, standing proud on her keystone with her arms crossed. “Keystone - Kaname Funeral!” 

All around the celestial, three waves of smaller keystones manifest and move to surround Seija. The latter starts flying up to avoid them.

_Is this like before where she’ll launch them at me?_

Seija is faster than the stones, so they lock into position below her in a circle.

_They stopped? That can only mean-!_

All nine stones shoot a storm of lasers that target Seija. Due to the pattern the stones are in, the lasers create a pattern akin to a conical hourglass where Seija herself is the midpoint. She, recognizing this, moves to her left so as to not rise or fall into the lasers post-dodge.

_So that attack homes in on me and fires after a set amount of time. It’s too slow to be a huge threat on its own, thou-_

The Sword of Hisou grazes Seija’s arm while she instinctively skirts around the sneak attack. Her right sleeve is slightly torn.

“Tsk, that almost worked,” says Tenshi, mildly unenthused. “Oh well.”

_A distraction? Didn’t know she had it in her._

Seija backs up again and shoots another flurry. This time, Tenshi calls upon four small keystones that orbit around her. They block Seija’s attack, cracking a bit in the process.

_I can’t play my entire hand too early. If I reverse everything she does she’ll just adjust. I need to get her off-guard!_

“Your bullets can’t hurt me!” Tenshi gloats. “Try this on for size!” She sends her shield of rocks towards Seija at high speeds, following closely behind.

_She’s moving too fast to dodge, this is it!_

Seija floats perfectly still for but a moment; a second later, she reverses the keystones’ momentum. They are on an inevitable collision course with Tenshi, whose eyes go wide but remain composed. Right before impact, her entire body is enveloped in a blue aura. She charges through the keystones like they are paper, utterly shattering them, and headbutts Seija in the gut with immense force.

“Guragh!” Seija grunts, coughing and nearly keeling over.

Tenshi, after laughing, says, “You underestimate the durability of a celestial’s body!”

“Is that right?!” The amanojaku wraps her arms around the smaller girl. “Turnabout - Reverse Hierarchy!”

She begins rapidly spinning clockwise and the immediate vicinity counterclockwise to make Tenshi dizzy, using the dozens of bullets her spell card creates to pelt the celestial from behind. This prevents Tenshi, who is physically stronger, from being able to break free right away. All the rain around them is affected, creating a sphere of water that visibly shows the thirty meter radius Seija is choosing to spin.

“I’ll send you falling back to Heaven!” Once she has built enough momentum, Seija lets go at the precise moment needed to throw Tenshi at the Shining Needle Castle. “Reverse Sign - Overturning All Under Heaven!”

Up becomes down and down becomes up, the ground above and the sky below. The inverted castle now temporarily appears normal from the outside. Hundreds of bullets appear and shoot at Tenshi, whose reversed momentum causes her to fall back to Seija and towards the sky.

Regaining her bearings, Tenshi says, “It… won’t be… that easy! Temperament - State of Enlightenment!” A red glow appears around her and she powers through the danmaku, taking visible damage but much less than Seija expected.

_I knew celestials were durable, but to this extent?_

Tenshi manages to stay standing, or rather flying, after the onslaught. Many parts of her hat and dress are scuffed and she has a few bruises, but she is more than capable of continuing. “Looks like you got some fight in you after all! I was worried this would be way too quick with how you were acting at first.” She reignites her sword. “I think this deserves a change of scenery!”

_I can’t let her control the pace any longer!_

Seija summons an absurd amount of danmaku, desiring to fell her opponent for good. Tenshi summons another keystone to stand on, plants her sword into it, and breathes in to focus and gather energy. All the bullets land, yet Tenshi withstands every hit without batting an eye, focusing and gathering energy all the while.

_Her ability is too powerful, I don’t have the strength to wail on her fast enough!_

Raising her Sword of Hisou above her head, Tenshi shouts, “Sky of Scarlet Perception of All Humankind!”

She points the sword at Seija and it fires out a gigantic red laser with massive width. Normally the size would be such that Seija could get out of the way easily; however, her mental fatigue has built up the past two days and, combined with the pain from hits Tenshi already landed, she cannot fully dodge. Nearly her entire left leg is hit while flying right to avoid the attack. Seija stifles her yelp of pain through gritted teeth. Since the area is inverted due to her still active spell card, the blast keeps going and pierces the rain clouds below them. Seconds later the rain stops and the clouds part entirely, replaced by an expanding aurora of many beautiful colors.

“What do you think?” asks a smug Tenshi. “A beautiful battlefield to end this duel in, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely _gorgeous_ ,” Seija replies, trying to hide the fact her left leg is limp while flying.

“I’m impressed you made it through that attack. I’ll do you the honor of finishing you off in as flashy a method as possible, befitting a celestial!”

“It’s always celestial this, celestial that. Do you have a personality beyond living in Heaven?”

The confident girl’s eyes narrow. “Hmph, I’ll teach you to respect my power.” She returns to her earlier position, focusing with her eyes closed.

_Heh, she didn’t like that. …What am I doing, trying to contest her in power? She outclasses me by a longshot. After my nightmares the past two days and her arrival, I just saw red when she challenged me. My mood is making me too aggressive. I have to attack where she’s weakest: her temper!_

For the first time since Tenshi arrived, Seija cracks a smile. She ends her spell card, flipping the scenery back to normal, and says, “Earlier, were you really able to eat all of that danmaku thanks to a celestial’s thick skin? Or do you just have a thick skull?”

Tenshi’s eye twitches, however she continues concentrating.

“Must be embarrassing having to try this hard against a dreg of society like me when you’re supposed to be an almighty being. That’s twice now you haven’t beaten me.”

“This isn’t over yet, just wait!” the blue-haired girl snaps back. Her eyes are still closed.

_She’s faltering, keep laying it on!_

“I’ve _been_ waiting yet you’ve got nothing. All of you’ve done is make it where I’ll need to ask Shin to sew up my sleeve later. Your light show was all flash, no substance. And the only thing that head of yours is good for is use as a blunt weapon which, from experience, still ain’t much.”

_Well, it hurt like hell, but I don’t need to say that._

“Grr…” Tenshi growls.

“Oh my, is poor little peaches upset? Maybe you’d have won already if you didn’t spend so much time lounging and feasting in Heaven. A lethargic lifestyle isn’t healthy, y’know. Doesn’t fit the image of a celestial, either. So shameful! That sword does all the work for you.”

“Sword or no sword, my abilities are far beyond anything you’re capable of, which I’ll prove to you right now!”

_Got her._

Tenshi flies straight up with her keystone, so high that Seija can barely see her anymore.

_Whenever someone loses their cool, they always get sloppy. Time and again I see it. Even a celestial is no exception._

The speck that was once Tenshi turns a shade of orange as it gets bigger, closing in on Seija. All the latter can see is a gigantic keystone to Earth. From behind it, Tenshi shouts, “KEYSTONE - WORLD CREATION PRESS!”

_It’s a huge rock but anyone could dodge-_

Earlier events with Tenshi’s keystone lasers flash in Seija’s mind.

_It’s a diversion!_

Seija glances down to find a dozen newly summoned keystones rocketing at her, likely intended to launch her into the large one. Thanks to her anticipation, she narrowly threads the needle between them all, leaving only the main one.

_That stone is moving obscenely fast and she can’t see from her side of it, this is my chance!_

Tenshi finally reaches where she believes Seija should be and hears a thud on the other side of her keystone. “You said before you’d send me falling back to Heaven!” she taunts. “Where’s all that bluster now?!”

Using all her strength to reverse the ludicrously large rock’s direction while flying around behind Tenshi before she can be any wiser, Seija says, “It’s right here.” 

“What?!”

_This idea is risky and might not truly defeat her, but I have a point to make!_

Seija tackles Tenshi so the celestial’s face is pressed against the keystone. The act hurts the former more than the latter due to Seija not having a celestial’s resilience, as the rock has reached a speed that would grievously injure anyone were it not part of a spell card. By reversing the keystone’s momentum, it launches upward at the same speed it was previously falling. It is no longer falling to the ground at a constantly accelerating rate, instead rising at a constant speed thanks to Seija’s ability targeting just the keystone to render the effect of Earth’s gravity and air resistance on it null. Tenshi is pinned between the rock and Seija, the latter lying on top of the former.

“Mmf, Seija!” says the celestial’s muffled voice.

_She’d be more than strong enough to break the rock and throw me off normally, but it was with the height of her strength she gave this rock such an immense velocity. Plus gravity helped her. Now that it’s pushing against her with that same amount of force, at most she could manage an equal amount of force against it, which isn’t enough to change the motion of the object or be enough to actually lift her body off. That last part is what seals it, there’s a major difference between pushing against something while lying on it and punching it with a huge wind-up. Even if she did manage any tangible resistance, my body acts as a weight to keep her completely pinned. It also helps that she’s so short. I just have to stay here to make sure gravity and air resistance remain non-factors._

Tenshi’s muffled shouts accomplish nothing while they ascend higher and higher. She is able to continuously summon the Sword of Hisou to her hand yet Seija uses her abilities on herself to gain a slight range of movement to knock it away repeatedly despite the circumstances.

_Of course, I told her she’d ‘fall’ back to Heaven. I meant that very literally!_

A minute passes while Seija lets the keystone carry them into the stratosphere. “Woo, it’s chilly up here. I’d say this is good enough to count as having kept my word!” she yells, barely audible given how fast they are moving. She flips their perspectives of the world once more, now seeming as though the keystone is falling on them. Giving herself enough wiggle room, Seija gets out from underneath the keystone and focuses on keeping Tenshi stuck as long as she can, until she is finally unable to make out the girl amidst the unnaturally close-to-Earth aurora.

“Ha! How do you like… that…”

Her vision blurs. The amanojaku pushed her mind and body to the limit throughout the fight between the blows she took and the immense concentration required to precisely manipulate the keystone for so long. Her lack of rest prior is the final straw.

_Shoot, I got too into that fight… Losing consciousness while this high above the ground… Real smart…_

Seija, ironically, falls like a rock as the orientation of the world corrects itself. For a bit under a minute, she is completely out cold. She wakes up after that, half-conscious, and makes out the amorphous blobs of Youkai Mountain and the various greenery of Gensokyo. Her attempts to try and course correct are thwarted by her tired body.

_This might… be a problem…_

“SEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIJAAAAAAAAAAA!”

_That voice… I know that voice…_

Two figures fly to Seija as fast as they can, though she cannot make them out through her partially shut eyes.

“SEIJA!”

Shin rushes to her partner. Close behind is Marisa on her broom.

“We have to match her speed and slow her descent gradually!” the ordinary magician commands. “You’re not quite fast enough for this, so let me start!”

“Alright!” Shin responds.

_Shin…_

Marisa begins by aiming her broom perpendicular to the ground, the same position Seija’s body is in. Next, Marisa, who is now parallel to the ground, grabs Seija’s waist and gently slows their falling speed; were she to halt the amanojaku’s descent immediately, it would certainly cause injury.

“Okay, we’re slow enough now. Help me get her on the broom, Shin!”

Not even verbally responding, Shin instantly takes hold of Seija’s legs and moves her to the broom. While this entire process is occurring, they are rapidly running out of time before they reach the ground; there are now roughly thirty seconds before it is too late.

“Hurry!” Marisa yells.

Shin, after positioning Seija on the broom, gets behind her to make sure the latter does not fall off.

With a hand on her hat, Marisa says, “Hold on!” She veers the broom up so it is parallel with the Earth once again. By the time she levels it out, they are only a hundred meters above nearby treetops. “Phew, that was a little too close.”

“Seija, Seija, are you alright?!” an extremely distraught Shin asks.

The barely conscious Seija managages to answer, “Ugh… not at all…”

“Heh,” chuckles Marisa. “Guess she’ll be fine. Let’s get her back to your castle.”

* * *

“Why the heck didya think that was a good idea?!” Marisa shouts at Tenshi. “A rock that size would’ve caused a massive tremor throughout Gensokyo!”

Seija, Shin, Tenshi, and Marisa all sit around the former two’s meal table. Seija sports bandages in various spots, primarily her left leg. She is not wearing her iconic red, white, and black arrow pattern dress; instead, she only has her light purple undershirt usually worn beneath the dress and a spare dark blue jinbei Shin owns for when they need to do laundry. The strap for the Hakurouken necklace is visible to the others, but not the shard itself. Tenshi, despite some messy hair and scrapes on her clothing, looks much better off as the injuries she sustained were less major and already healing. She returned to the castle soon after the other three did, raring to continue her fight with Seija before Marisa, who originally came to investigate the unnatural aurora, began telling her off.

“It’s not like anything bad happened. That rock was still technically danmaku; it wouldn’t do truly permanent damage. At best it’d give some folks a little scare,” Tenshi counters. “And it’s not my fault Seija went as far as she did. She could’ve just given up.”

“That’s not the point- oh whatever.”

_Odd feeling to be in a room with an incident solver where I’m not the one being yelled at._

Shin, equally annoyed, says, “Next time you drop by uninvited, can you _please_ not hurt my partner? I would never forgive you if something happened to her and there are no gaps I wouldn’t cross to keep her safe, celestial or not.”

_…Thanks, Shin._

“Hey,” says Seija, “I won as far as I’m concerned.”

“Only one of us is covered in bandages,” says the celestial, a fire in her voice.

“Be honest, peaches: do you _really_ feel like you beat me?”

“Hahahahaha! In practice, yes, but I respect just how far you’re willing to go to overturn those above you, even if it’s an ill-fated endeavor. You’re not the worst person I’ve spent time with. While I don’t concede defeat, you’ve earned your respite. And, for what it’s worth, I knew that changing the weather like I did would draw some people to us.”

“What are you getting at?” Shin asks.

“I’d like to think I’m a pretty good judge of strength-”

“Pft, good one,” interrupts Marisa.

“- _and_ I felt you might need some help. An aurora appearing over the castle was sure to draw Shin back. I might’ve gotten a little carried away afterwards-”

“‘A little’ she says,” Shin interjects.

“- _but_ I never intended for you to be in legitimate danger. I also figured being a little rougher with you was fine given your reputation.”

_I don’t care what she intended, it goes against who I am to kowtow to anyone, let alone someone like her._

“Well, and I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Marisa begins, “I’m glad you’re okay, Seija. Even if ya didn’t mean to, dealin’ with Tenshi like you did saved others the trouble. She would’ve looked for a fight somewhere else even if you didn’t give her one.”

“Thanks for the support, understudy,” says Seija with false gratitude.

“I’ll choose to ignore that. And don’t think I’m unaware of that stunt you two pulled with Mokou the other day. You’re still on thin ice after what happened underground, don’t push your luck. If you try something, we’ll find out eventually.”

Seija casually fidgets with her hair. “I’m shaking in my non-existent boots.”

“Sometimes I don’t know why I bother. I’m off to tell Reimu what happened so she doesn’t come runnin’ herself. Can’t say I know where she is that she didn’t already get here, though.”

With that, Marisa heads out, leaving the other three to their devices.

After a moment, Tenshi says, “Gotta say, I came here expecting to speak with my dreamy former partner, didn’t think I’d end up trying to settle an old score.”

Tenshi does not realize it, but her choice of words causes both Seija and Shin to tense up for differing reasons.

Seija is the first to speak, saying, “Hold on, what do you mean by ‘dreamy’?”

_There’s no way Tenshi-_

“Oh, just that this one is fro-”

“Tenshi, w-wait a second!” says Shin suddenly. “Yukari already took care of all that, you’re mistaken.”

_Huh? Am I missing something here?_

“What did you mean by ‘this one’?” Seija asks.

“Uh, don’t know why you two are acting so weird all of a sudden,” says Tenshi. “You know about those dream versions of folks that were running around during the Perfect Possession incident, right?”

“No, I don’t. Shin never mentioned that.”

“Really? I heard they caused quite a commotion. When I was teamed up with the inchling here, along the way we ran into her dream self. She pulled a switch on me, replacing the original.”

The room is dead silent. Seija turns to Shin with a shocked expression.

_Shin’s… dream self?_

The inchling, visibly nervous, says, “Okay, before you get the wrong idea, let me explain. Yes, that switch happened, but after Reimu and Yukari beat the Yorigami sisters, Yukari had them round up all the dream selves and send them back to the Dream World. She even knew that the switch occurred so there’s no way she’d let me fall through the cracks.”

Seija takes a moment to process her partner’s words. “So, you’re _not_ the dream version of Shin?”

“She isn’t sure,” Tenshi chimes in.

“How can she not be sure? That seems like a very obvious either/or thing!”

“After we finished fighting people during that incident, we came back here to talk for a bit. She said herself that she wasn’t sure which one she was anymore. Personally, I don’t understand how you people and Youkai on Earth can have such vague senses of self.”

Shin looks down, saying, “I was telling the truth when I said Yukari had them all rounded up back then and that she knew about what happened with me. But my memory of that time is… blurry. The dream and real word versions of someone are still the same person, just different facets. All the switching and confusion made me unsure who I was.”

“I definitely noticed you becoming a bit more crass after the switch happened. You’ve been with her longer than me, Seija. Did you notice a change?”

The amanojaku’s head spins. She frowns and puts a hand on her face.

 _Shin was always at least a little mischievous ever since I met her, but she was definitely further down the devious end once we met again in spring last year. She went from unwilling to go against all of Gensokyo after losing to leading the charge. When before I had to trick her to work with me, she later came_ **_to_ ** _me. It… It lines up… Was I being played for a fool this whole time…?_

With both her hosts emotionally distraught, even Tenshi is able to read the room and says, “I’ll come back a different day. Um, sorry for causing trouble.” She quickly leaves, the other two barely paying her any mind.

“Shin, I… I need time to think,” says Seija with a level of sincerity that alarms the inchling. “Can you give me that?”

“S-sure,” Shin answers, unable to think of anything else to say.

Both retire to their rooms despite it only being a bit past noon. Seija is listless the whole time she lies on her futon.

 _Who cares if it’s the same one or not, it’s not like we were on equal terms until after the switch happened. Even if she is from the Dream World, she’s still the Shin I know and have spent the past eighteen months with._ _  
__…So what the hell is the feeling of betrayal? Why do I feel lied to and, more importantly, why do I care? I’m still an amanojaku. Lying, cheating, stealing, it’s all on the table. I don’t connect with others and they don’t connect with me. Yet with Shin, it’s something more. I stuck with her cause I thought it’d be interesting; in that sense, Tenshi’s motivations for visiting today aren’t unlike my own. But our connection has grown beyond that. Only a few days ago we promised to keep each other amused. I wasn’t being wholly honest about my intent then; I just want to stick with her for its own sake now. What’s happening to me?_

All these thoughts and many more linger in her head. The duo do not see each other for the rest of the day.

* * *

Successfully fighting against the wind, Seija almost reaches Shin in the field they stand in when a metal-like sound scrapes the ground, forging an impassable ravine. It all goes the same way as the previous night.

_Is this some kind of twisted joke?!_

Yet, as despair creeps in, another set of Shin’s words crosses Seija’s mind: “There are no gaps I wouldn’t cross to keep her safe.” She steps back and makes a running leap, purely on instinct. Despite it being too wide to jump across, once Seija blinks she sees that she made it to the other side without even feeling the impact of landing.

_What the- Think later, Shin now!_

Seija finally makes it to Shin, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Wait up, I almost thought I lost you.”

“Huh?” Shin turns around. “Seija, what are you doing here? I told you before, societal upheaval is impossible.”

“What are you talking about? We’re working towards that goal right now! First we’ll overturn the Lunar Capital, then Gensokyo!”

“The Lunar Capital? What are you saying? There’s no way you stand a chance against them. You shouldn’t antagonize everyone.”

“But we already promised that we’d do it! And how we’d continue to entertain each other!”

“I think you’re insane,” says Shin coldly. “Right now you’re being the opposite of ‘entertaining.’ I guess that’s to be expected from an amanojaku. Can’t get along with anyone.”

Seija feels a massive knot in her stomach hearing those words; her expression is pained. “B-but… we promised to win the white-water rafting race afterwards! You have to remember that!”

“How do you know I enjoy rafting? I never mentioned it to you when we were working together.”

“Because we’re still working together! And have been for the past year and a half! You’re my partner, Shin!”

“Partner?”

“Yes! I… I _care_ about you! You mean more to me than anything else!” Tears form in Seija’s eyes. “I don’t know how or why an amanojaku can feel that way, and that no longer matters to me! You’re my partner, Shin! Please, stay with me!”

Shin grabs her head, as though she is on the cusp of remembering something. However, just before she gets to say something, everything in the world freezes. The wind no longer blows, the grass stops swaying, and Shin herself is completely still.

“Shin? Shin! Are you alright?”

A new voice echoes, “It’s no use, she won’t hear you.”

“Who’s there?” Seija calls out, assuming a defensive stance and wiping her eyes before any tears can fall.

“I don’t intend to hurt you. My job is to make sure everything in the Dream World stays in order,” says the voice.

“Your job? Wait, if I’m dreaming right now, are you-”

“Doremy Sweet, at your service.” As she says that, the baku materializes in front of Seija. Her dress is black on the top and bottom and white in-between; black and white balls of various sizes adorn the opposite colors. Her dark blue eyes and hair matched with her immensely long red nightcap and white socks inspires drowsiness. A tail similar to an ox’s pokes out behind her and she holds in her left hand an open blue book with a bookmark to match said tail.

_If I’m dreaming, then what was I last doing before sleeping? I was… in my room. Before that I fought Tenshi and found out that Shin might- Oh. Yeah._

“Are you listening to me, Seija?” Doremy asks.

“Yeah, yeah. So this Shin-”

“-is not the real one. You were talking to a fabrication made by the dream.”

_Can’t believe I said all that junk to a fake Shin._

Seija sighs before asking, “What do you want with me?”

“As I said, my job is to keep order here. Recurring nightmares, however horrible, are normally a natural process in one’s psyche; usually they happen in response to some kind of traumatic event. Sometimes they stay, sometimes they fade, but there’s a cause of some kind even if it isn’t obvious.”

“And? Where are you going with this?”

“Your nightmares have been decidedly unnatural. They’re eating away at your psyche, slowly but surely. Not as a natural slip into insanity, either. Every time you overcome some kind of mental or emotional hurdle, that gets reflected here. But there is never going to be an end to it. Had I not stopped it and you continued talking to Shinmyoumaru, a new event would occur to ensure a bad ending, however contrived.” The baku smiles knowingly. “Though I must say you overcame a few without realizing it just now. That part about how much you cared about her was downright moving.”

“W-what the hell?!” an incredibly flustered Seija yells. “Who said you could look inside my head?!”

Doremy shrugs. “Just like how you can’t help your desire to overturn society, I can’t help but be a part of the process that regulates this world. There are few things in the hearts and minds of humans and Youkai that I cannot access.”

“Never mind! Just tell me why my nightmare is unnatural already!”

“They’ve been induced somehow. Someone with the explicit desire to destroy you from the inside out is causing these dreams. Really, the cruelty in this nightmare’s design is obscene. Instead of putting you into a hopeless situation from the outset, you keep making what you think is progress before losing hope in progressively worse ways.”

_Who would even want to- alright dumb question._

Seija places a hand on the back of her head. “I’ve crossed way too many people to narrow it down.”

“I should be able to figure it out myself, yet this quarry is proving elusive. I didn’t even notice this nightmare the first night and only barely caught it the second, which is impressive.”

_Some ‘Ruler of Dreams’ you are…_

“Regardless,” Doremy continues, “do know that my appearance here tonight wasn’t just out of the kindness of my heart nor a sense of duty. I take it as a personal insult that someone is doing this under my watch and I intend to drag them into the light. In the interim, I’ll keep an eye on you and personally eat any more unnatural dreams so you can sleep well.”

“Don’t expect a ‘thank you’ or anything,” says Seija, crossing her arms.

“I would never ask for one. At least, not from you. Hopefully the next time we meet, it will be under better circumstances. Good night, Seija.” She closes her book and the area disappears, piece by piece. “Oh, and two more things. First, don’t worry about remembering this encounter. My eating this dream will wipe it from your memory as well as previous instances. But whenever you return, what we discussed today will come rushing back like a tidal wave.”

“So I won’t even remember that there’s someone attempting to destroy my mind or why I flipped my room in my sleep, got it. And the second thing I’ll immediately forget?”

“I caught a few bits and pieces of what you were thinking earlier. Let me reassure you of one thing: the border between dreams and reality is often indistinct, and that applies to your dream self. Regardless of which version of someone you spend time with, they are still the same being at their core; the connection you form with them is real, one just tempers their desires with inhibitions. Should one replace the other, they might do things they would normally never approve of; on the flip side, the beliefs of someone can change and what was once something they would never do might become commonplace for them. In truth, there’s no telling which occurred without comparing the two selves directly, which is itself unnecessary since both will still feel the same way deep down. This is my long-winded way of saying to have faith in those you care for, since true connections transcend dreams.”

_…_

Doremy fades away completely along with the rest of the dream, putting Seija’s consciousness back to rest.

* * *

Birds chirp outside the window in Seija’s room. The sun rose over three hours ago, however the amanojaku only now stirs after a long and comfortable rest. She yawns the longest she has in a very long time.

_Man, I needed some quality shut-eye._

Sitting up and pulling her blanket off, her hair is an utter mess. Many parts sticking out in different directions in a tangled blob of black, white, and red. It is only when stretching her arms to her sides that Seija notices Shin, human-sized, sleeping with her back to a nearby wall. She is wearing a jinbei that matches the one she lent Seija.

_What is she doing here?_

The amanojaku lazily shuffles to her partner and shakes her by the shoulder. “Yo, Shin, wake up.”

“Uhhhnnnn… five more minutes…” says the sleep-talking inchling.

“I don’t have time for this.”

Seija flicks her wrist and points up with her finger, causing Shin to flip where she sits and end up face down on the ground.

“Ow, what’d you do that for…?”

“Because you were sleeping in my room for an unknown reason and wouldn’t wake up.”

Shin sits up, rubs her eyes, and says, “I couldn’t fall asleep right away last night. Eventually I heard a crash in here and ran over to find you sleeping like a baby while all the parts of your futon were spread throughout the room. You were totally conked out so I rebuilt the futon and tucked you in. I still couldn’t sleep and was worried that you might hurt yourself in your sleep again, so I sat down to keep an eye on you. Must’ve fallen asleep after that at some point.”

Her partner’s story makes Seija fully wake up. “You stayed to make sure I was alright?”

_And what happened to make me flip the room in my sleep, anyway?_

“Well, yeah. And I want to talk about what happened yesterday.”

_Oh that. It’s weird, I don’t really feel bothered by it anymore._

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“What? What do you mean ‘it’s fine’?”

Seija sits next to Shin unconcerned. “I mean it’s fine. I thought about it and decided it doesn’t matter.”

“But- That’s- Huh?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Yes there’s a problem! You looked so shaken yesterday, I was terrified you were gonna resent me for hiding this from you! And now you wake up in the morning with bedhead, tell me ‘it’s fine,’ and expect me to believe it?!”

“…Yeah?”

“Seija!” proclaims the inchling, moving in front of her partner. Her head is held high and her face is determined. “I _am_ Shinmyoumaru Sukuna, descendent of the inchlings! What happened in the past doesn’t matter! I can promise you, in the here and now, that I am and always will be your partner! That together, you and I will continue to prove to this world that favors the strong over the weak just how big we are! That we’ll overturn the hierarchy!” Her expression turns a bit softer. “So please believe me that I trust you and that you can trust me. You don’t realize how much it means to me that you, an amanojaku, choose to stay with me. Like we made a connection that flipped nature itself on its head. That-”

Shin’s speech is cut short by Seija leaning over and embracing her.

“S-Seija?”

“I’m sorry I doubted you. You don’t need to justify yourself any further.”

Shin is completely still in Seija’s arms. Once her shock passes, she reciprocates the hug, holding tight.

Seija, after many long moments, breaks it off and says, “Okay, that’s our sappiness quota for the decade and then some. To change the subject, did you confirm whatever it is you wanted to in the village? We might be out for more than a week while my leg recovers.”

“Actually, I did,” says Shin, a glint in her eyes. “I just never got a chance to tell you after Tenshi’s attack. How do you feel about concerts?”

“Depends on the style. Let’s continue this over breakfast. I don’t know why, but I’m starving.”

“That’s because the closest you’ve come to a meal since yesterday’s breakfast was nearly eating dirt in your fight with Tenshi.”

“Okay but you agree I won, right? Right?”

Shin looks away and rubs her neck. “Suuuuuuuure, we can go with that.”

“Shin!”

“Gonna go make breakfast!”

“No you aren’t, get back here!”

A chase ensues that runs all over the castle, Shin purposely slowing down so the injured Seija stands a chance. More than a handful of danamku barrages are exchanged in the process. Both of them sleep very well the following night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another huge thanks to @R_cansuke_MS on Twitter the art you see above (main key art added to this chapter January 12th, 2021, hilarious bonus art added February 15th, 2021). Consider commissioning them via Skeb: https://skeb.jp/@R_cansuke_MS
> 
> This chapter was a mountain to climb for me. I felt a degree of writer's block for the first time since starting this story, which kept me from making meaningful progress for a while. Then I spent a day off just working on this for ten hours straight when I finally regained my stride and it was incredibly fun and satisfying to do. I don't necessarily think it's absolutely amazing on a technical level or anything, but, holistically, this might be my favorite single chapter I've ever written (it's also the longest chapter I've ever published). It strikes every note I want it to that leaves me feeling very happy with the result by the end. In a smaller story with less plot threads, this would be a finale I could be satisfied with. The part that stays with me the most is Doremy's speech about having faith in those you make legitimate connections with. That sentiment is, I believe, extremely important. But I don't wanna come off as self-aggrandizing, only wanted to share my feelings with how this chapter turned out.  
> Anyway, time to break some things down. Let it be known that Seija *absolutely* lost that fight in a practical sense. Even if she had maintained consciousness well enough to not fall, Tenshi, while having suffered some damage herself, was just too strong for Seija this time and would have overpowered her had it continued. It was a fair fight where, if anything, Seija was the one with the handicap due to her pre-existing fatigue. As we all know, Seija doesn't do fair fights. All that said, I'm very happy with how she earned something of a moral victory despite all that. To clarify one more thing about the fight: naturally occurring auroras are far, far higher in the sky than the heights Seija and Tenshi reached here. Tenshi's ability created an artificial aurora that was much lower.  
> In regards to Doremy, my depicition of her here is rather benevolent. I tried my best to emphasize how the main reasons she's helping Seija are her job and a personal grudge. She even says, in the story of Violet Detector, that it doesn't matter to her which Sumireko (Dream or Real) actually escapes the Dream World. Yet she also has her aforementioned speech which her only reason for was putting Seija's mind at ease. I like to think part of it was a desire to better Seija's understanding of how the Dream World works, but also just some good ol' fashioned kindness. Even if she can sometimes come off callous, she has shown some charity in the past to those she wasn't entirely obligated to help. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt here.  
> Marisa got to do something this time! And it was helping Seija, even. I figure that, given how many incidents in this series have strange weather as a symptom, an incident solver is bound to show up quickly to find out what's going on. That worked in Seija's favor this time, which is exactly what Tenshi intended. Despite her arrogance, Tenshi isn't a total idiot. Nor is she entirely cruel. Not to mention having more people to take on is an affirmation of her own power.  
> I acknowledge that, in general, this chapter had a lot of cheesy moments, for lack of a better term. To that I say this: I just like doing that. It's something that shows up in every story I make at some point or another and this one is no exception. So I hope readers enjoy it as much as I do.  
> A final side note: as I talked about last time, starting with this chapter I will not be tagging every character that appears in the story. I do not want people to be spoiled just by looking at the tags.  
> For those who read these as they come out, I once again thank you for your patience. And to everyone reading, thank you so much for you time. All comments and feedback are extremely appreciated. Have a fantastic day/night!
> 
> Glossary:  
> Jinbei - Traditional Japanese clothing often worn in the summer. It generally consists of a side-tying, tube-sleeved kimono-style top and a pair of trouser. In this case, it is used by Seija and Shin as backup outfits/sleepwear if their other clothes are unavailable.


	6. sowT fo riaP A

Seija’s footsteps echo throughout the serene halls of the Shining Needle Castle. Three days after Tenshi’s intrusion, most of her various bruises and injuries have faded with only her left leg yet to fully recover; likewise, thanks to Shin’s handiwork, all the tears and frays on her dress have been expertly mended. She paces the halls, vexed by her current dilemma.

_No matter how much I rack my brain, I can’t think of where to go next for information on how to reach the Moon. Eientei is out of the question at this point and Shin is also drawing a blank when I ask. And on that subject, why hasn’t Hatate published an article in her paper about what happened? Shin says there still hasn’t been even a footnote about it. Tengu love their scoops, not to mention her and Aya’s rivalry; Hatate wouldn’t let this opportunity go. Nothing’s stopped either of them from writing about more minor events. I’m worried her spirit photography might reveal the truth of what happened, but at least if she does we’d know how to respond. This silence is really fishy._

Entering a guest room and flying through the window, the amanojaku sits on an inverted eave identical to so many she has before. Grey clouds form an overcast and the afternoon chill reminds Seija of the transitioning seasons, causing her to shiver slightly.

_Putting that aside, the Choujuu Gigagku concert is tomorrow. Shin’s been so excited talking about it the past few days, even going back to the village today to double check the details._

She cannot help but smile while recalling Shin’s enthusiasm.

* * *

“Owowow…” Seija moans after chasing her partner halfway across the castle with her various bruises. She gingerly flies to the dining room while Shin walks below her.

The inchling, a smug smile plastered on her face, says, “Glad you’re so energetic even while injured.”

“Shut up and tell me about this concert already.”

“How can I tell you if I shut up?” An instant after the words leave Shin’s lips, she finds her face on the floor and legs in the air before tumbling over entirely. “Okay I had that coming,” she says after picking herself up.

Seija smirks. “Anyway, what’s the band? Do I know it?”

“They’ve been on hiatus for a little while, otherwise I would’ve taken you way sooner. They’re called Choujuu Gigaku, a punk rock band.”

“‘Punk rock’?”

“Yeah! It’s a two-Youkai group: Kyouko Kasodani is the vocalist, Mystia Lorelei is the guitarist. They play music that comes straight from their souls, voicing their dissatisfaction with society. I figure you’d enjoy the style.”

“I’ll admit I’m intrigued, but isn’t Mystia the one known for her singing? Kyouko’s just loud.”

“Mystia’s singing could drive all the audience members insane.”

“I fail to see the problem.”

“You’re hilarious,” says Shin with the most emotionless tone she can produce.

“Now we’re even on dumb jokes,” Seija counters.

“Ignoring that, you _are_ interested?”

“A band all about vocalizing the flaws of society _does_ line up pretty well with our mission statement.”

_Though there comes a point where if the band is or becomes too popular, it contradicts itself. But Shin appears to enjoy their work, which is reason enough to check it out._

“Since it’s a big comeback performance,” Shin continues, “there’s a lot of buzz surrounding it among various Youkai sects. The possibility we might get seen by some we’d rather avoid is very real, so if you think we shouldn’t go then I understand.”

“Nah, ain’t like they can attack us for only attending a concert. And I assume it’s at night? Most attendees will be too focused on the music to make us out in a crowd.”

“Yes!” Shin cheers, all her previous concern gone without a trace. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time, I’ve always wanted to go to a concert with you.”

The amanojaku rubs the back of her neck. “Having me there couldn’t change it too much.”

“I disagree. You being there is what will make this the best one I’ve gone to yet, guaranteed!”

These words elicit an odd reaction from Seija. Welling up in her stomach is a sensation she has been experiencing in her conversations with Shin more and more frequently. She still cannot adequately describe it.

_This feeling again… I don’t get what it’s supposed to be. Though, I can’t say I’m against it being there._

“Suit yourself, then,” says Seija, doing her utmost to act cool. “When will it be?”

“It’s in four days, at sundown. I thought it’d be perfect since that would have been the last day of our week of laying low, but Tenshi’s stunt and your leg will, like you said, keep us down for a little longer.”

“I’ll definitely be feeling well enough to go to a concert by that point, even if my leg isn’t finished healing.”

“Yeah, after looking at it this morning, I agree. My only remaining concern is you flipping your room in your sleep again. Be sure to let me know if that happens, alright?”

“Will do.”

_Can’t say I remember why I did that, though._

* * *

The smile on Seija’s face is replaced with a frown and furrowed brow.

 _…Thinking about it, I still can’t recall why that happened. I know_ **_something_ ** _was bothering me but-_

“To contemplate so much without taking action won’t get you anywhere,” says a voice that instantly annoys Seija.

Without turning around, the amanojaku replies, “Advice from a slovenly celestial rings rather hollow, wouldn’t you say?”

Tenshi moves to sit down next to Seija. “And a retort from an amanojaku contradicting what I say only further adds credence to my words, doesn’t it?”

“Says the supposedly enlightened being who goes around picking fights and causing problems. Maybe you’re more similar to me than you’d like to admit?”

“Hardly. A celestial showcasing their power is the natural way of things, lest you forget your place.”

“And what power do you want to showcase that it brought you down again so soon?”

“I mainly wanted to check on you and the inchling, to see if you still have all that determination after what happened when I was here last.” Tenshi’s tone softens slightly as she says, “Just know I didn’t intend to drive some kind of wedge between you two.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. It would take far more than what you’re capable of to separate the two of us. Now tell me your _other_ reason for coming since I know you’re not that altruistic.”

“Well, I did happen to wonder if you had any interesting plans coming up. I’ve been down here for days and Shion’s still busy helping Jo’on with her duties at Myouren Temple until tomorrow.”

“If you’re that bored, why not return to Heaven instead of loitering in Gensokyo?”

“That’s, er, private business. Going back wouldn’t be the best idea currently.”

_And what’s that supposed to mean? Is something preventing her?_

Before they can continue their conversation, Shin’s voice calls out, “Seija, I’m home!”

“I’m out here!” Seija yells towards the window. “We also have an uninvited guest.”

It does not take long for Shin to find the pair on the eave. They quickly catch her up to speed on why Tenshi is here.

“Let me guess,” the inchling begins, “you got kicked out again?”

Tenshi fidgets with her hat. “T-that’s not quite how I’d phrase it-”

“Pfffft, ‘again’? Is there trouble in paradise?” Seija asks while chuckling.

“I’ll be glad to defeat you like before should you persist in your ignorant insults!” As she says this, Tenshi stands up and puts a hand on her sword hilt.

Seija, rising up to meet her and looking slightly down at the shorter celestial, says, “Oh I’m _so_ afraid of the heavenly delinquent. You were really pushing yourself before, do you honestly think you can take both of us at once?”

“That’s enough!” Shin commands, moving between them. “I’m not letting you get yourselves injured again or damage my castle!”

“Hmph. I suppose a bratty child isn’t worth the time anyway.”

“Your little princess sure has you on a tight leash,” Tenshi taunts. “What happened to the friendless amanojaku we all tried to hunt down?”

“You can’t go a single conversation without mentioning how you want to find Shion like she’s your little lost lamb.”

“I don’t appreciate your tone. Shion actually understands the value of my company, unlike you!”

Shin increases the size of her Miracle Mallet and smashes it onto the space between where Seija and Tenshi are standing, surprising the latter two. “I said that’s enough! Tenshi, despite everything, I consider you a friend. So _please_ stop sparking conflict every time you visit. Seija, I know she can be grating, but I would appreciate it if you could not enable her. If she truly crosses the line, we can deal with her then.”

The amanojaku and celestial angrily glare at each other, yet both also wear confident smirks. They are in a mental tug of war, each side refusing to show even a drop of subjugation to the other.

“You don’t have to like each other. Let’s just avoid tearing the place down, alright?” Shin continues.

Without taking her eyes off of Tenshi, Seija asks, “Did you verify that the concert is still on for tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Apparently Choujuu Gigagku is even having a few guest musicians get involved. I’m curious who they could be, though I have an inkling.”

“Oh?” Tenshi says with a raised eyebrow. “What’s this about a concert?”

_Shoot, maybe mentioning that with her around wasn’t a great idea._

Shin explains the plan for tomorrow. All the while, Seija and Tenshi still refuse to budge from their positions.

“Interesting. I suppose experiencing the surface’s rudimentary music could fill some time. Shion might already know about this if Kyouko works at the temple.”

“If you’re satisfied with that information, you can leave,” says an impatient Seija.

“I think I’m rather content to stay here a little longer. Unless you want to try and force me?”

“Far be it from me to inconvenience your greatness, peaches. I’m sure we can entertain each other somehow.”

“This is gonna be a long day…” laments Shin.

* * *

The pressure surrounding Shin’s living room table is heavy. She, Seija, and Tenshi are deep into the third and final round of their thirteenth game of Daifugō, all three of them having won four games so far. The rules are simple: whoever empties their hand first is the winner of the round and claims the title of daifugō, also known as the tycoon. Whoever gets last is the daihinmin, or beggar. The one with the most points at the end of the third round is the game’s winner and ultimate tycoon. Players empty their hands by playing a card that is of greater value than the previous, with two simultaneously being the lowest number and a trump card that beats an ace. Whoever starts a trick, or set of cards played, can play whichever card they choose from their hand, also having the option to play two-, three-, or four-of-a-kinds. The former two force following players to match them or pass their turn, while the last of them causes a revolution that flips the card values. The tycoon acts as the dealer in the following round. Tenshi is the current tycoon with two points from placing last in the first round and first in the second round. Shin, likewise, has two points from placing first in the first round and last in the second round. Seija also possesses two points after placing second twice, making the score tied. Tenshi won the most recent trick, allowing her to go next. Her hand holds six cards, Seija's hand has eleven cards, and Shin's hand contains fourteen cards.

“You’ve put up quite a fight, amanojaku, but it’s over,” says the celestial. “My hand is too powerful to lose at this stage. How quaint, thinking you ever stood a chance against a celestial in anything! I look forward to you making good on your promise to admit I’m your better when I reach five wins. Prepare to grovel before me!”

“Bold words for someone one loss away from having to recognize that I beat them,” Seija responds. “If you’re so confident in your victory, play your cards!”

“Card Sign - Three-of-a-Kind!” Tenshi places down triple sevens, reducing her hand to only three cards.

_Stupid celestial luck, she’s been saving that for a decisive moment! I have enough in my hand to match the number, but their value is too low!_

“Grr…” Seija growls.

“Hahahaha! Judging by your reaction, you have no way of winning now! Fear the might of-”

“Three queens,” says Shin casually. Eleven cards remain in her hand.

“Huh?” Tenshi looks to the board and is taken aback by Shin’s assault. “I-I can’t match that!”

“Alright, so you both pass?” Once they nod, Shin starts the next trick. “Two jacks.” She has nine cards left.

_Shin, you’re a lifesaver!_

“I place two kings!” declares Seija with nine cards left.

Tenshi dramatically pulls two of her remaining three cards from her hand. “That won’t help you! I play two aces! How poetic that your partner’s cards would be your undoing!”

_Since the tycoon gets to exchange any two cards for the beggar’s best two cards at the start of the round, she waited to use those in order to spite me!_

Shin parses through her hand and says, “I pass.”

“She can’t save you this time! Now lay down your pathetic cards and surrender!”

“Be careful what you call 'pathetic'!” yells Seija. “I play a pair of twos!”

“What?! That’s impossible! You mean to tell you’ve been holding onto those trump cards this entire round?!”

“I was. As I only held two, there was no way for me to overturn your three-of-a-kind before. I was hesitant to use them at first, but just now you let something important slip: you couldn’t match Shin’s triple queens, so that last card in your hand isn’t an ace like the other two. It’s probably a different high value card you’ve been saving to either beat one of us or close out the round.”

“Like that knowledge will help you! You have seven cards left and there’s only one number that hasn’t had at least two of its cards used-” The proverbial house of cards Tenshi is in comes crashing down as she realizes what’s about to happen.

Seija cannot contain the maniacal laughter bursting from within her. “HAHAHAHAHA! CARD SIGN - REVOLUTION!” Grabbing four of her seven cards, she throws onto the table four fives, causing a revolution. Tenshi’s remaining card might as well be dead weight in her hand. “Since I’ve reversed this game’s hierarchy, I immediately get to start the next trick! I place two fours!”

“No! You can’t seriously-”

“Two threes,” says Shin, unaffected by the shenanigans around her. She now has seven cards. Since both Seija and Tenshi have one card remaining, neither can respond. “One eight.” No response. “One seven. Two sixes. Two tens. One ace.”

Death. Seija and Tenshi fall to the floor, holding a nine and a king, respectively.

“That’s two points for me,” Shin continues. “Since you both have one card left and Seija is next in the turn order, she gets second while you, Tenshi, are the beggar. I win the game with four points, beating Seija's three and your two. That means I’m the first to reach five games and the winner overall.”

The defeated players say nothing.

“The last time I played this was with Reimu and Marisa when I was living at Hakurei Shrine. Marisa taught it to us; she read about it in a book from Suzunaan and had us use these weird outside world cards she ‘borrowed’ from Kourindou. Since it requires a minimum of three players, I could never ask you to play, Seija.”

Sitting up, Tenshi asks, “Why do _you_ have these cards, then?”

“I always beat them and eventually they got sick of it, so they stopped playing and let me keep the deck.”

“Wait a minute,” Seija interjects, “did you just hustle us?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, since I was the first to reach five wins, that means you two get to make dinner tonight,” says the inchling, sounding satisfied. “I’ve got something else to work on, so I’ll see you then.” She goes to leave the room, but stops short at the entryway. “A word of advice: card games, like danmaku, are all about power. And overestimating your own power to the point of ignoring a smaller opponent is just begging for the rug to be pulled out from under you.” With that, she is gone.

Seija and Tenshi turn to each other, mouths agape.

The latter breaks the silence first. “I take it we agree to never speak of this again?”

“Yes, yes we do.”

* * *

The dinner following Seija and Tenshi’s humiliation at Shin’s hands proves to be lively. The former two argue constantly, blaming each other for perceived problems with the meal. 

“Just because you reverse everything doesn’t mean you need to undercook the meat,” says Tenshi.

“I’m sooooo sorry I’ve failed to appease the palate of her greatness,” says Seija between bites. “Why not go home and- oh wait, you can’t. A shame, that.”

Shin, for her part, greatly enjoys the food. While the fighting pair certainly do not like each other, the inchling likes to think the two’s shared loss and incessant feuds help them understand one another a bit more.

“The sheer disrespect you constantly feel a need to show is truly sad,” Tenshi muses. “It’s okay to admit you were wrong and start anew. I could maybe put a word in for you in Heaven. Who knows? You might be let in some time next millennium.”

Seija makes a showy display of putting her hand over her mouth. “How considerate! Sadly I’d rather spend twice as much time in whatever version of Hell we’re on at that point then spend another day with you, let alone an eternity. My sincerest apologies.”

“I can really feel the love,” says Shin. “Will this be your only night with us, Tenshi? You certainly make things, uh, louder.”

Tenshi rises to her feet after finishing the last of her food, which she ate surprisingly fast given her many complaints. “It’s above a celestial to suffer this kind of disgrace a moment longer. Luckily for your companion, I’m feeling generous today. I will be departing tomorrow morning to find Shion and after that will likely see you at the concert. I’m going to explore the grounds a bit more before retiring for the night.” She struts off without a goodbye.

“Remarkable how she barges into people’s homes and does these things without permission.”

“Her confidence can’t be questioned, that’s for sure,” says Seija.

“I’d rather put up with this than fight her, though. To be honest, part of why I didn’t try to stop her from staying was the fear of something happening to you.”

“C’mon, you really think we can't take her?”

“It’s not that.”

“What is it, then?”

“Seeing you plummet through the sky… it scared me to death. You were in real danger and I don’t know what I would’ve done if Marisa hadn’t also been there.”

Only now does the weight of Shin’s worry hit Seija. The amanojaku looks down. “…If we’re exchanging secrets, I felt similarly back during Sekibanki’s ambush.”

“But we won that easily.”

“At the end, yeah. But for that brief moment when she had me restrained and I saw Kagerou take you into the forest, I saw red. Drew on strength I didn’t know I had. In retrospect, there was no point during that where you were even in a fraction of the danger I was after fighting Tenshi, but that’s not how it felt at the time.”

“Well, that’s why we’re partners, right? We watch each other’s backs. It’s comforting to know you’ll always be there for me.”

Seija scratches her face and averts her gaze to avoid embarrassment. “So what was this mysterious task you worked on while the brat and I made dinner?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” Shin says with a knowing look.

“Far be it from me to pry. Is this something to look forward to or dread?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

_What’s cooking in that devious mind?_

“If you won’t talk, I guess I don’t have a choice but to wait,” says Seija. “Let me change the subject to something that’s been bothering me: Hatate. What do you think her angle is?”

“You mean how there hasn’t been a single article about what happened?”

“Exactly. There’s no reason why she wouldn’t have already published one. Even if she used her ability to find out what really happened, it’d be out in the open by now.”

“It’s very suspect, I agree. Fortunately, I have an idea regarding that.”

“Lay it on me.”

“A reunion concert like this tends to get press coverage, right? Hatate might be there.”

“Or Aya or both. And in the former case, it won’t be of any help.”

“True, but we don’t have anything to lose by looking around while we’re there.”

Seija crosses her arms to think. “Alright, say we do find her: wouldn’t it be incredibly suspicious to ask her about this?”

“I neglected to mention it before, but punk rock is a genre that originated in the outside world. And who do we know from the outside world that loves to see various events in Gensokyo? Someone who’s constant prying into things that aren’t her business wouldn’t attract any suspicion?”

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.”

“If you can think of a better plan, I’m all ears.”

“Fine. But are you sure you’re okay with wasting time at the concert to do this? You’ve been talking about wanting to see it nearly non-stop.”

“If Sumireko does the investigating for us, we don’t lose any time. Worst case scenario, we don’t find anything out and enjoy the show.” There is a fire in Shin’s voice as she says, “Believe me, I have _zero_ intention of missing this.”

_The last time I’ve seen her this pumped was when she explained her plan at the fireworks festival._

“Then let’s get ready for a boring day tomorrow!”

* * *

True to her word, Tenshi departs for Myouren Temple after breakfast the following morning, though not before one last verbal sparring match with Seija. Each walks away self-assured that they won.

“With that waste of space gone, we should get started early,” says Seija, performing some morning stretches after putting the dirty dishes up. Her left leg is closer to full capacity but still noticeably sore.

_Need to make sure I don’t overexert myself._

Shin nods. “First we should visit Mokou and ask if Sumireko mentioned going to a concert. Maybe she also has an idea of what happened with Hatate after we left Eientei.”

“You said the concert begins at sundown, yeah? That gives us about eleven hours.”

“Yep. The location is around halfway between Myouren Temple and the human village, so no matter where we go it won’t be far.”

“Time to move out, then.”

“Let’s grab our hats so we can disguise our faces if necessary,” says Shin.

_All it really does is hide my horns since anyone who knows me would recognize the dress if they got close, but it’s better than nothing._

Hats in tow, they set out at a brisk pace towards the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, which happens to be in the same direction as Myouren Temple anyway. It is visible to them in the distance while flying by, along with a stage being constructed on the road between the temple and the village. After thirty minutes of flying, they reach the entrance of the forest.

“Now for the hard part, finding that stupid immor-” Seija cuts herself off when she sees Mokou casually walking on the path below them, hands in her pockets. “Never mind.”

“Wonder where she’s going?” Shin asks.

“There’s no one around at the moment, so this is as good a time as any to ask our questions.”

The duo descends to meet the immortal. Mokou tilts her head at the sight of them but does not appear bothered.

“Yo, doing another raid on Eientei?” she asks.

“Not exactly,” Shin responds. “We wanted to ask you something: did Sumireko mention anything about going to a concert last time you saw her?”

“What, do I look like her personal assistant? I don’t know everywhere she goes.”

“So is that a no?”

“…She invited me to tonight’s Choujuu Gigaku concert yesterday. I had already been asked by an acquaintance to help with the pyrotechnics, so I was going regardless.”

“An oddly practical use of your talents. Why head out so early, though?”

Mokou rubs the back of her head listlessly. “I don’t exactly leave the forest often, so I’m visiting a friend in the village while I’m out. Gonna explain where you’re going with these questions? Doubt it’s only a burning curiosity about the girl’s day-to-day location.”

“We’re not exactly the most trusted Youkai around,” says Seija. “Sumireko can ask questions we can’t for us.”

“If you’re endangering her or abusing her good will, we’re gonna have problems. I don’t care what I owe you.”

“Calm down, we’re not planning to put her in any danger. If anything, you might be able to save us the trouble of going to her: do you know why Hatate still hasn’t put out an article about what we did last week?”

“Has she not? I don’t read the paper,” says Mokou with a shrug. “Not like I’m in a good location to receive it.”

“Let me rephrase for her,” Shin interjects. “What did you say to Hatate after going back to Eientei that night?”

“Nothing. She wasn’t even there anymore. I figured she already got the info she wanted from other sources and used that spirit photography thing to fill in the blanks. If she went back and asked questions later, you already know the cover story I gave Eirin.”

_That’s even more suspicious._

Seija turns to her partner. “Shin, there _have_ been new issues of Kakashi Spirit News since then, right?”

“Yeah. Since we don’t get any and the Scarlet Devil Mansion is close by, I always read over the papers delivered there since Meiling is still asleep at that time in the morning. Same with Bunbunmaru News.”

“So Hatate’s actively producing articles but hasn’t written one about this?”

“Maybe she decided against writing an article?” suggests Mokou.

“That doesn’t line up with those reporters’ way of doing things.”

“Look, I really don’t care. I told you what I know so I’m gonna move along. If I hear anything about this and see you tonight, I’ll tell you. Later.”

Mokou saunters off in her signature way, leaving the duo alone.

“We at least got confirmation that Sumireko would be there tonight,” says Shin.

“It was easier to find out than I expected,” Seija admits. “We’ve got over ten hours to kill now.”

“I guess we go home and wait until it’s time?”

“ _Or_ …” Seija flashes a mischievous grin, “we check out the stage grounds early.”

Shin responds in kind. “I like the way you think.”

No more deliberation is necessary for them to fly off to where the stage is being constructed. They arrive in less than ten minutes, moving to the ground and hiding in the bushes to avoid detection by the workers. All of them are kappa hurriedly transporting and assembling parts. The main platform is mostly finished, standing at two meters tall. Constructs on either side and a frame from which to hang the curtain are works in progress. Combined with that are pipes being inserted into the platform from underneath; they are designed to let out sparks and fog for dramatic effect once the performance begins.

“Make sure everything’s up to snuff!” shouts a twin-tailed, blue-haired kappa acting as the leader. She wears a green hat and a blue dress with a dozen pockets. On her back is a backpack nearly the size of her body, blue and covered in pockets like the dress. Seija and Shin recognize her as Nitori Kawashiro. “The Prismriver Ensemble is offering a generous payment and we have a reputation to maintain!”

_The Prismrivers? They aren’t members of Choujuu Gigaku._

“Looks like my hunch was right,” Shin whispers.

“Oh, about the guest musicians?”

“Uh-huh. Choujuu Gigagku host their concerts on the road late at night due to their almost underground nature. The whole point is to appeal to societal outcasts and give a raw, unrefined performance. When I saw this much publicity and found out a whole stage was being propped up, I knew a more influential group was behind it.”

“Does this compromise what it is you enjoy about the band?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. If the music keeps the same soul it had before, then I don’t care who’s helping or what stage they’re on. The Prismriver Ensemble makes quality music, too. My only concern is the two not meshing well.”

Another pair approaches the stage while Seija and Shin are whispering, but instead of sneaking in, they march proudly. Or rather, one marches proudly and the other, despite being much taller, stays hunched over behind the first and is close enough to be her shadow.

_Is that-_

“As I expected, performances on the surface use stages that pale in comparison to those used in Heaven,” Tenshi says while examining the perimeter.

“It’s smaller than the one from when Jo’on and I perfect possessed everyone, but still very big,” says the girl behind Tenshi. She has dark blue hair and a matching bow with a grey short-sleeved hoodie and blue skirt, no shoes to speak of. All of her clothing is randomly adorned with various bills and eviction notices. On her wrists are golden bracelets a bit thinner and looser than Seija’s own. She holds a patched cat doll in her right arm and a chipped cup in her left hand.

Nitori notices the trespassers and instantly becomes aggravated upon recognizing them. “No one’s allowed to be here while we’re working! A poverty god’s misfortune is the last thing we need in a construction site!”

Shion Yorigami recoils a bit at the declaration, but Tenshi says, “You should be honored I’m even here, and that extends to my companion.”

“Try replacing ‘honored’ with ‘bothered’ and you’re right on the money,” Nitori responds, already exasperated. “I don’t mean any offense, but this is an important gig. Please come back tonight when any problems caused are no longer our legal concern.”

“Being so obsessed with money is a sin, kappa.”

“And so is unnecessarily disturbing others’ work.”

“I’ll leave you to your meager work for transient profits, then,” says Tenshi. Nitori does not say anything in return, immediately returning to work. “The surface has really gone to the dogs if no one shows any respect for a celestial.”

“W-well,” Shion says shakily, “Nitori’s a Youkai and not a human, so maybe that makes her blind to all your amazing attributes?”

“You’re probably right.” Tenshi puts an arm around Shion’s neck. “One day everyone will come to see things the way you do!”

“I hope so!”

_I feel like I’m gonna be sick. The last thing that brat needs is someone stroking her ego._

Shin taps on Seija’s shoulder and says, “We should get going.”

“Why the sudden rush?”

“Nothing ever works out well for those who are near the poverty god for too long. Our luck will take a nosedive if we don’t leave.”

“If you say so.” Seija begins walking away, but a root she failed to see earlier catches her left foot, making her trip and fall. “Agh!”

_It had to be my left foot!_

The noise does not go unnoticed by Nitori, Tenshi, and Shion, who all turn to where Seija and Shin are hiding.

“Stupid reporters!” Nitori yells. “This area is off-limits to _everyone_!” She manifests a stream of water and shoots it at the duo’s location, blasting away the bush and drenching many nearby trees. However, there is no one there she can see. “Huh. I could’ve sworn…”

Covered by loose leaves, Seija and Shin’s inchling-sized bodies remain undetected. Both are completely soaked and chilled to the bone by the light breeze. They get up once they confirm the kappa have refocused on their work and Tenshi and Shion have left.

“You alright?” Shin asks.

The amanojaku rings out her hair and clothes. “Ugh. Quick thinking on your part. Let’s just go home for now.”

“Sure, I’ll turn us back- uh…” Shin searches her person and the immediate vicinity, unable to locate what she is searching for.

“What’s the matter?”

“Do you see my mallet anywhere?”

_Oh no._

Both scan the area and come up with nothing.

“I think Nitori’s attack blasted it out of my hands the moment I finished activating it,” says Shin, mild panic in her voice.

“It couldn’t have gone too far. Would it still be normal size or did it shrink down with us?”

“Normally it shrinks while I’m holding it but otherwise stays the same. Since it was knocked away at the moment of use, I think it’ll still be normal size. I can activate it either way.”

“Alright,” Seija says with a nod. “If it’s normal size, it’ll be easier to find. Let’s check everywhere still wet from the attack.”

The duo’s small stature slows their ability to search the area quickly, similar to their experience back in Eientei.

“What’s the worst case scenario here?” asks Seija while they walk.

“If we can’t find my mallet, we’re stuck like this,” Shin explains. “The only ways to return to normal are for me to use it or for it to run out of power. In the latter case, I’d still be small since this is my original size. While the magic is being applied to you, it will consistently lose a _slight_ amount of power for the duration.”

“I imagine that low power drain will last a long time.”

“Likely at least a few months.”

“Fantastic. Let’s keep looking.”

Their searching proves fruitless over the next ten minutes.

_I’d much rather not be tiny for months, though if I’m with Shin the whole time it wouldn’t be so- What the heck am I saying? Get those weird thoughts out of here, being small means you can’t enact your plans, Seija!_

Eventually they spy a shimmer of gold on the ground amidst the trees.

_There it is!_

Before they can finish their approach, the sound of a slow violin solo from close by causes them to stop short. It produces a melancholic melody that resonates with the soul. Both partners find themselves entranced, taking in every single note. Each one to reach their ears is a call to let go of their worries and goals, to allow themselves to be enveloped by the music forevermore.

_Who's playing that…? All I want is to keep listening…_  
…   
_Snap out of it! This must be a Youkai’s ability!_

Seija manages to resist the enrapturing tune, however Shin is not as successful.

“Where are you going…?” the inchling asks, sitting in the grass.

Pulling her partner to her feet, Seija says, “C’mon Shin, we need to keep moving! Your mallet is right over there!”

“My mallet, right…”

_It’ll take at least a minute to drag her over there and I’m not sure how long I can keep moving. Dang it, think! …Hm, that might work provided my powers aren’t too diminished by my size._

Seija puts one of Shin’s arms around her to help keep the inchling steady and starts walking as quickly as they are able. The violin’s tune becomes clearer the closer they get. Before she succumbs to the music, Seija attempts to reverse the tone and pitch of the song. All she accomplishes with her small stature is making it sound a bit off-key, however that reduces the effect enough that they make it to the Miracle Mallet.

“We’re here. Now you just gotta use the mallet and make us big again,” says Seija, placing Shin’s hand on it.

“But… I don’t really wanna do anything…” Shin collapses in Seija’s arms. “Can’t we just stay together like this forever…?”

“W-what?! I-”

With Shin on the brink, the music abruptly stops.

_Huh?_

“Peculiar,” says a calm and collected voice from the same direction the music came from. “It suddenly went out of tune. Can’t have that happening the day of a performance.”

_‘Performance’? And the instrument was a violin. That has to be Lunasa Prismriver._

“There you are! Everything okay?” asks a slightly younger sounding voice.

“I was practicing out here so nobody would be affected by the music,” Lunasa explains. “It was going well when my notes suddenly sounded off-key.”

“You’re right, that’s weird. Should we examine your violin with Merlin and Raiko?”

“There’s nothing else for it, I suppose. Let’s go.”

Lunasa and the other voice, who Seija assumes to be Lyrica Prismriver, fade away.

“They’re gone, wake up,” says Seija as she gently shakes her partner.

“Mmngh…” After a moment, Shin slowly opens her eyes to see Seija’s concerned face staring down at her. “Seija? What happened?”

“You fell under the spell of Lunasa’s music. We managed to reach your mallet, so you can return us to normal size now.”

“Huh? Oh, right!”

Shin touches the Miracle Mallet and focuses, causing it to glow. A moment later, they rapidly expand to human-size.

“That was a very unlucky string of events,” says a mentally worn-out Seija.

_She wasn’t kidding about that poverty god._

“I don’t remember much of what happened while the song was playing,” Shin says as she stretches her arms over her head.

_That’s… probably for the best._

Standing up, Shin continues, “But this doubly confirms that the Prismriver Ensemble is behind the event tonight. And that guarantees we’re on the right track with thinking Hatate will show up.”

“How do you figure?”

“Raiko Horikawa. If you recall, she’s one of the tsukumogami my mallet created. She’s known for abusing the news to give the band publicity. There are even rumors that the break-up and reformation the Prismrivers had four years ago was entirely staged by her, as that’s when she officially joined.”

“You’re suggesting everything about this event was set up to maximize publicity, including attracting Choujuu Gigaku fans?”

Shin taps her head with her right index finger. “Exactly. I don’t know if this collaboration is entirely in good faith or not, but no matter how you slice it there’s zero chance Raiko wouldn’t make sure all the major news outlets are covering it.”

“You’re very familiar with the inner workings of show business.”

“Years of living alone means you find ways to fill the time. You said yourself that knowing how a society works is the best way to subvert it.”

_Something tells me this is less about our mission and more her just being into this kind of thing._

“We confirmed everything we needed to, so why don’t we go home and relax until the concert?” asks Shin.

Cracking her neck, Seija replies, “After how eventful this morning was, no objections here.”

Their departure is swift so as to avoid any further unwanted attention. So swift, in fact, that neither notices the slightest rustling of bushes near where they found the mallet. A certain tengu with protective ear muffs around her neck steps out, excitedly writing notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anything else, I would like to draw attention to art that was added to the end of Chapter 5 on January 12th, 2021. Please check it out if you haven't.
> 
> After a (longer than intended) holiday break, it's time for Seija and Shin's story to continue. My original idea was to get this out a bit over a week ago since that would have been four weeks, but that fell through when this chapter needed rewrites and I was busy with other things. I'm really happy to get back to it, though.  
> Diving right in, this chapter was pretty light-hearted compared to Chapter 5, which I think is a necessary cool down. I decided to have Tenshi come back since she was unable to show much of her casual side last time. Having her play off of Seija, who in many ways is both similar to her (in terms of how most people feel about them in-universe) and her opposite (in terms of social standing and conflicting views on the very concept of reverence) proved to be enjoyable. It also served as a transition to having her appear with Shion. Outside of that and their short conversation with Mokou, it was mainly the good ol' Seija and Shin dynamic. This chapter, in general, alludes to a lot of previous plot points, which will start coming together soon. I have a pretty clear idea of where everything will go from here, but there's still plenty left. I hope the "action" scene was enjoyable and didn't have too much exposition for what was happening. The idea of playing around with different games and forms of conflict is one I like a lot and something I wanted to test here. In regards to the final scene with Lunasa's music, I can't quite put my finger on why, but it strikes me as different from how I normally handle a given tense section. Maybe I'm just imagining things, though.  
> As always, comments and feedback are greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for reading and have a great day/night!
> 
> A link to the Wikipedia page about Daifugō/Tycoon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daifug%C5%8D  
> That link explains all the rules, including things that didn't come up in this chapter. It's a fun game, I recommend it to anyone curious.


	7. edargorteR dna kcoR

“Seija!” says an excited voice. “C’mon, get up.”

Shinmyoumaru shakes Seija by the shoulder, the latter having been napping while sitting against the wall in her bedroom.

“Hm…? What’s going on?” says Seija between yawns.

“It’s time for us to leave for the concert! You’ve been asleep the past few hours.”

“Oh, right.”

Shin grabs Seija’s hand and pulls her up before they walk out.

_Something feels… warm._

It takes a groggy Seija until they are halfway down the hall to realize Shin has yet to let go.

“Uh, why are you-”

“By the way,” Shin begins, cutting Seija off, “I made snacks for us to share while we’re there.”

“That’s not what-”

“I also know this spot that has a great view of the stars. We can stop by afterwards and lounge the night away!”

“SHIN!” Seija shouts, finally stopping both from walking any further. “Slow down! Why are you holding my hand?”

“What’s wrong with that?” asks Shin. Her tone carries the slightest tinge of fear, unsettling Seija.

“I- urgh!”

_My head feels like it’s about to split open._

Shin continues, “If you want me to leave you alone, I will.”

“No, it’s not that-”

“Then there’s no problem?”

“I… I guess not?” Seija replies, hardly able to focus.

“Good to hear!”

They resume their journey through the hall, Shin leading the befuddled Seija along.

_What’s happening? This situation isn’t right…_

“There are loads of other things I’ve planned for us to do!” Shin declares. “Visiting more festivals, a trip to some far off places in Gensokyo, of course the white-water rafting competition-”

“Wait, didn’t we agree that the last one would be after going to the Lunar Capital?”

Shin grinds to a halt but does not turn around. “Do we _really_ need to go there?”

“What kinda question is that? I thought you were completely on board with the plan.”

“I’ve been thinking recently, what’s the point of what we do?”

Seija is taken aback hearing this question from Shin, unable to immediately respond.

“All we accomplish is making our own lives harder,” says Shin. “We have this castle, we have each other, and we have all the time in the world. Who cares what anyone else is doing?”

“But that’s not our mission!”

The inchling turns around, her face full of disgust. “Oh that’s right, you’re an amanojaku. Overturning everything is your reason for being. I guess if I’m in the way of that, we don’t have any reason to stay together.”

“Wait a minute-”

“Wait for what, exactly? For you to ask me to stay? What a load of garbage. Shouldn’t you have realized by now that no connection you form lasts? All you are is a slave to your nature!”

Her words sting Seija infinitely more than any danmaku.

_Has she felt this way along? That can’t…_

“That said,” Shin continues, “you really are a pathetic excuse for an amanojaku. Not only did you attempt to cultivate a relationship, but you also, for the briefest moment, felt guilt for what you put the Komeijis through. What a disgrace.”

 _…in fact, it_ **_isn’t_ ** _true. Not only would Shin never say these things, but-!_

“I never told you how I felt about what happened with Satori and Koishi,” says Seija.

Shin’s eyes widen slightly, her sneer faltering.

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” Seija taunts. “You really like rambling on like you somehow know me, yet now you’ve got nothing to say? If you’re gonna steal my partner’s face, at least _try_ to be convincing!”

Ripping her hand away, the amanojaku summons a hundred bullets all around the imposter and lets loose. Each one is reflected back the way it came, prompting Seija to scramble out of the way.

“Hahaha…” the fake Shin laughs.

“How did you-”

“Oh I _know_ you alright! Better than anyone, I’d say.” The fake’s face morphs into the evilest smile imaginable. “But it seems our time here is up.”

“What do you mean?”

“That is enough!” yells a disembodied voice.

_Huh?_

Doremy Sweet materializes behind Shin, the latter freezing in place. “…Blast it, seems they escaped from this dream.”

“You’re that Ruler of- Agh!” Seija cuts herself off, gripping her head.

_What are these memories? Nightmares…?_

“Yes, yes, glad you’re caught up,” says Doremy. “I sensed you were having a dream and was greeted by a baleful aura. The perpetrator probably thought they could do this under my nose by catching a midday nap since that’s outside your normal schedule.”

_This influx of memories is a lot to process, but it answers everything I was wondering the other day._

Still with a hand on her head, Seija asks, “Can we reveal who this faker is? They’re frozen right in front of us.”

“The puppet through which they talked to you is here, yes, but currently the only beings I feel in this dream are you and me. The intruder is gone. It’s truly confounding, no one should be able to hide from me in this world.”

“How do you even go about investigating something like this?”

“I have to try and track any residual memories left behind, which isn’t foolproof. Last time, the nightmares you experienced ran as an automated machine; there was no one to find. They simply crafted the trap and let it run as intended. Your words managing to reach the previous Shinmyoumaru is a testament to how your memories affected it. For this dream, they took a more direct approach by controlling a version of your partner designed to actively tear you down. This should, ideally, give me an opportunity to track them after we’re done here.”

_The moment we find them can’t come soon enough after they used Shin’s face like that._

Doremy, sensing Seija’s mood, smiles inscrutably. “For what it’s worth, you did a fine job of staying calm and recognizing the discrepancies in front of you.” She holds up her right hand and a pink circular blob appears. “What I would normally expect is that both cases were caused by a dream soul like this one. That’s the most direct way to force a dream on someone. Yet there’s no indication this happened either time.”

“So they’re using a method unknown to you?”

“I can rule out the nightmare being chemically caused through medicine by examining its makeup. So, barring the incredibly unlikely case they’re also a baku like me, you’re right.”

“Then why not let me remember this time so I can search as well?” an increasingly frustrated Seija asks.

Doremy sighs. “This dream is a prison. The only way for you to wake up is to experience some kind of change to your psyche, likely meant to be mental degradation, which is impossible now that I’m here and have chased off the cause. Either I devour it or you’re stuck here indefinitely. By doing the former, I’m erasing it from your conscious mind’s memory when you wake up. Even normal dreams do not stick around in the mind very long. Your experiences here still exist in your unconscious mind, however, as that’s where dreams reside. Hence why a trigger such as seeing me while knowing you're in a dream can bring those memories back.”

_So this annoyance is forcing us to split our focus in case they don’t see immediate success. I still have no idea who they could even be._

“You could try telling me in the real world,” suggests Seija.

“Would you even believe me without your memories? You’re not the most trusting sort.”

“Hmph.”

_I can’t deny it. …I wish I could talk to Shin about this._

“We’ll consider that a last resort. Farewell for now,” says Doremy, closing her book.

The creeping sense of unease in Seija’s mind fades with the dream.

* * *

“Seija,” says a soothing voice, “wake up.”

Shin tenderly rustles her partner by the shoulder, the latter waking from the nap she had while leaning against her bedroom’s wall. The amanojaku notes a blanket on her she does not recall having earlier that day.

“Hm…? What’s going on?” says Seija, yawning.

“It’s almost time for us to leave for the concert. You’ve been asleep the past three hours.”

“Oh, ri- ugh…”

Shin grabs Seija’s hand and helps her to stand before letting go and asking, “You alright?”

“Yeah, a little lightheaded but it passed.”

“That’s good. It took a little while for my shaking to stir you, guess you needed the sleep.”

“Suppose so,” Seija replies, stifling the smile that attempts to emerge in response to Shin’s consideration. She notes a tiny nick on her partner’s left thumb. “Something happen? Your thumb’s hurt.”

“Huh?” Shin earnestly examines her hand. “Oh, it’s nothing. Didn’t even notice it.”

_That’s understandable. I’ve had plenty of scratches I don’t remember getting, too._

“Okay, I’m ready to head out if you are.”

“Then let’s go!” says Shin while shooting her fist forward.

The amanojaku does a routine of basic stretches. “When does it start?”

“In about forty minutes. I wanted to let you sleep as long as you could.”

“I wouldn’t have cared if you got me up sooner.”

“What fun would it be if you were grumpy?” Shin’s knowing look elicits an eye roll from Seija.

“Can it, shorty.”

“Why don’t you make me?”

“Is that an invitation?”

Unsheathing her needle and performing a series of practice swings, Shin says, “It _has_ been a while since we last had a match. That chase from the other day was fun but not a real fight.”

_She’s pretty excited. Seeing her get competitive hypes me up, too. But first thing’s first._

“We can put that on our list of things to do after tonight,” says Seija. 

Shin sheathes her needle. “It’s a date!”

“Oh, you’re mocking me now?”

“Who said I was mocking?”

“Whatever.”

The inchling cannot help but laugh while Seija starts walking, hands behind her head and elbows up in a laid-back fashion.

_Hmmm…_

They head out for the concert grounds, both full of anticipation.

* * *

Twenty minutes of flying is filled with going over what to do should they find Sumireko or Hatate.

“I figure if we’re shrunk down and have the girl hide us we can hear Hatate’s words for ourselves,” the amanojaku explains. She wears her not-so-trusty hat disguise.

Shin, small and in her bowl, replies, “I’m assuming you want to do that to avoid Sumireko potentially forgetting or embellishing details?”

“Yep. It also doesn’t need to be both us if the concert’s started and you’d-”

“You can stop right there. We experience it together or not at all.”

_Should’ve known better than to try and convince her otherwise._

By the time the duo arrives, a large crowd has formed in front of the newly built stage, which is empty barring a drum set. The crowd itself is a mix of humans and Youkai, though the former group does not seem to notice how many Youkai are among them. A few kappa-run stalls stand a dozen meters from either side, selling snacks and drinks but not tickets.

“My bet is that Choujuu Gigaku refused to have tickets be sold,” says Shin as she and Seija dive into the woods opposite the stage so they can sneak in without notice. “They’re literally a roadside band, after all. Wouldn’t be surprised if the Prismriver Ensemble settled on a compromise with them of letting the kappa set up concessions and splitting the profits.”

“If it means being caught can’t get us in trouble for trespassing, I’ll take it- is that Reisen?”

Shin directs her gaze to where Seija’s is and sees the restless moon rabbit pacing back and forth a few meters from the bush they hide behind. She is not wearing her suit and skirt but instead peddler attire of a loose top with a shirt underneath, baggy pants that stop a bit past the knee, and a sash around her waist. Both arms and legs are wrapped tightly and she wears a hat similar to Seija’s on her head. One of her ears slightly juts out on her right side seemingly without her noticing, which is what allowed Seija to identify her.

“That’s the disguise she wears when selling Eientei’s medicine in the village,” says Shin. “She must’ve come here after her shift ended.”

_For someone as high-strung as her, these kinds of concerts must be stress relief for her._

Once Reisen has moved on, Seija says, “We should avoid her. She’ll be extra wary of us given-”

“Get down!” Shin whispers, prompting the amanojaku to drop.

“-ank you again for agreeing to this, dearie,” says a certain refined voice nearby.

“I still don’t get why Raiko sent you to contact me,” a gruff and casual voice responds. “You said live music wasn’t your cup of tea last time we teamed up.”

_That’s Mamizou and Mokou. So the hag was this ‘acquaintance’ Mokou mentioned._

“I’ll explain that later, for now I want to keep my involvement discreet,” Mamizou continues. “You’re not the type to ask too many questions or divulge secrets, so I went to you.”

“Hmph, fair enough. I got an invitation to come not long after you asked, so it worked out.”

“Sumireko, I assume? Is she here already?”

That question catches the duo’s attention more than anything else said.

Mokou nods. “Yeah, I ran into her in the village as I was leaving and we got here together about ten minutes ago. We went to get some takoyaki but she was held up by Hatate, if you know her. That reporter said she had questions about the differences between concerts in the outside world and Gensokyo.”

Seija and Shin share a bewildered expression.

_Is that really why Hatate’s interviewing Sumireko? We need to find them!_

“Well, as someone who lived in the outside world until recently…” Mamizou’s words fade as she and Mokou continue walking.

“If I shrink you down, it might take us too long to reach Sumireko,” says Shin.

_Going around might work but would make our approach way too obvious. The crowd is the best cover we have._

“I’ll have to make a break for it, hold on.” Lowering her hat, Seija emerges from the bush as discreetly as she can and power walks east while Shin clams up in her bowl for Seija to carry. It takes roughly half a minute to push through the crowd without drawing attention, but she finally sees the stall ahead. However, upon arrival, neither Sumireko nor Hatate are anywhere to be seen.

_Oh great. Did they already move on?_

The amanojaku takes a brisk walk around the stalls and is still unable to see them.

“Wait, aren’t there stalls on _both_ sides of the stage?” Shin whispers, peeking through her bowl.

“Shoot, you’re right. I’ll go- _oof!_ ”

“Ow!”

Post-impact, the duo sees a young woman on the ground. She is wearing an inexpensive and simple orange kimono and a bandanna tied around her head that covers most of her hair.

“Are you okay?!” the woman’s companion worriedly asks, kneeling down to check on her. This young lady has a red and white checkered-pattern kimono. Her light red hair and bell hair ornaments immediately give her identity away.

_Kosuzu? I didn’t immediately recognize the other one, but is that-_

“Do I know you…?” the woman Seija bumped into muses, looking up at her. From the ground, she can easily see Seija’s face and hair beneath the hat, including the distinguishable white and red streaks; however, this does not include the horns. “Now I recall, it was at the dango festival. You were the crowd member Mamizou called up. I didn’t notice it back then, but you unmistakably have the aura of a Youkai.”

_This has to be Akyuu. Her memory is really something else. At least she doesn’t realize my exact identity._

“A-a youkai?!” Kosuzu yelps. Her squeal attracts a few glances from nearby humans and a few kappa.

_These two are gonna ruin everything!_

“Oh get up!” says Seija, grabbing Akyuu’s hand and pulling her to her feet. “Yes, I’m a Youkai, but so are dozens of others here. I’m sure you know all about that, Hieda no Akyuu.”

“How do you-”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m just here to see a concert, no harmful intent.”

Akyuu’s eyes narrow. “You’re certainly acting much more suspicious than other Youkai here.” She points to Seija’s hand. “Why are you carrying around that small bowl?”

“If we’re asking questions, why are you hiding your identity? I know an attempted disguise when I see one. Is it above your _prestigious_ station to be seen at a concert meant for the common folk?”

“T-that’s…”

“Uh, okay, maybe we should all calm down,” Kosuzu chimes in.

_Very rich coming from you._

The bookkeeper continues. “You just want to enjoy the concert, right? So do we. We can pretend we didn’t see each other and move along.”

_The girl seems more informed about how Gensokyo works than I gave her credit for. Makes sense considering who she associates with._

“Fine by me,” says Seija. “I won’t tell anyone the esteemed Child of Miare was here and no one will know about your little rendezvous.”

“One of those things isn’t even a secr-”

“That’s enough, Kosuzu,” says Akyuu. “Let’s get the food we came for.”

Kosuzu nods, locking her right arm with Akyuu’s left and hurriedly moving on.

Shin pops out of her bowl slightly. “That was close.”

“She knows my face now and she’s not one to forget.”

“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there. Let’s find Sumireko!”

Seija lets out a grunt of affirmation before starting the minute long ordeal of forcing her way through to the other side of the crowd. This time, no problematic collisions occur and she reaches the concert grounds’ other stalls without issue.

_Now where… there!_

As Mokou described, Sumireko is being interviewed by Hatate in a remote spot at the farthest point of the concession area. Hatate’s back is to the crowd while Sumireko has yet to notice Seija.

“Found her. I’ll swing around so you can shrink me and-”

A small flash comes from where the interview is taking place. The next moment, Hatate turns around and dashes to Seija with a tengu’s nearly unmatched speed.

“Hey there,” says the reporter with a simper.

“Whoa!” yells Seija, though not loud enough to attract much attention. “W-what are you-”

“I think we should have a chat, Seija Kijin. Or do you want me to blow the lid off of your Lunar Capital plan?”

The amanojaku’s face turns three shades paler, though the dusk lighting of the area makes it unnoticeable. In her hands, Shin’s bowl subtly shivers.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Seija says, her lying skills honed from a lifetime of practice.

“You saying that means you know _exactly_ what I’m talking about. I really think it’d be in everyone’s best interest if you heard me out. Sumireko doesn’t know anything, I just asked her random questions to buy time. Speaking of…”

“Wait, where are you going?” the bespectacled girl calls out, catching up to Hatate. “Weren’t you still asking me questions? And what was that photo you just took?”

“Very sorry about that, I needed you to help draw her out,” Hatate says while pointing to Seija.

“Who’s… Is that you, Sei- mmf!” Sumireko’s words are halted by the tengu putting a hand over her mouth.

“No need to cause a panic by saying her name too loudly. Many here have heard of her.”

“What’s your game, crow?” Seija asks.

“I already told you. And Sumireko, legitimately, sorry. I don’t like having to do something this underhanded. Let me talk with her alone.”

Once Hatate’s hand is taken off, Sumireko says, “Part of me doesn’t like how shady this is, but I have to admit I’m intrigued! I’ll back off for now, but one of you better tell me what’s going on later!”

_Always upbeat with her head in the clouds._

The Secret Sealing Club president walks off. Hatate wordlessly leads Seija to behind the farthest stall near the woods. The concert starts in fourteen minutes.

“I know Shin’s hiding in the bowl so she can come out too,” Hatate says matter-of-factly.

“Tch,” Seija sneers. She opens the bowl, however no one is inside.

“What? Where-”

Shin, human-size, pounces from the bush behind Hatate, covering her mouth in a similar fashion to what the tengu did to Sumireko moments earlier. As the inchling is still only a little more than three-fifths of Hatate's size, she wraps her legs around the tengu’s waist and pulls them back into the bush. Seija follows-up by knocking Hatate to the ground and slowly dragging her away from the stalls by the legs while Shin continues to restrain the arms and mouth. Hatate, for her part, willingly does not struggle.

_She shouldn’t have taken her eyes off us._

Once there is sufficient distance between them and the nearest pair of prying eyes, Seija says, “We’ll be the ones asking questions. Shin’s gonna take her hand off when it’s time for you to answer. Oh but _please_ do try calling for help, I’m sure it’ll work out for you. Now first, tell us what your goal is.”

“No wonder no one likes you, my outfit’s covered in dirt,” says Hatate the moment Shin lets her speak. “My goal is what it’s always been: to report on current events and publish articles that are beneficial to Gensokyo.”

“So what you’re saying is you want us to tie you up and leave you in a random neck of the woods.”

“I’m being sincere. Believe me, I hate that I’ve had to exert this much effort already. I’ve never been the outdoors type and honestly prefer to let my camera do most of the work for me.”

_Seems like she’s telling the truth._

“Do you even know how absurd the workloads put on tengu can be?” Hatate continues. “Conducting an independent investigation like this on top of churning out stories to fill the paper doesn’t leave me much free time.”

“We’re not exactly feeling sympathetic, sorry to say,” Shin responds.

The reporter sighs. “I wouldn’t expect you to, that was the risk I took going into this. Look, deny it all you want, I know what I know. And I _easily_ could have let the whole world know about your intentions before now.”

“You’re still going on about this thing, yet we have no idea what you’re talking about,” says Seija.

“If you wanna keep playing dumb, fine. Just know that I already asked colleagues to publish a story I made detailing every last event you two have been involved in the past few weeks, from Eientei to the dango festival to being here tonight. It also makes sure to describe your Lunar Capital plan in vivid detail. The only way to stop it is if I go back and retract the story before tomorrow morning.”

Seija clenches her fist. Shin glances up at her, a serious look on her face.

“That’s _really_ interesting but doesn’t explain why you’ve orchestrated this meeting.”

“I set this all up to tell you that I want you to succeed.”

Of all the answers Hatate could have given, the duo is not prepared for that one.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shin demands to know.

“Exactly what I said. The Lunar Capital is a threat to Gensokyo’s well-being. You two destabilizing it even slightly means we have less to worry about. They play a defensive game. A _long_ game. If they realize there was even the slightest breach in their security, they’ll spend who knows how long turtling up to make sure it never happens again.”

“Part of me has a hard time believing you're this altruistic,” says Seija.

“Thanks for the compliment. If you’ve gotta think about it in terms of what I gain, I’ll be the first to report on it and the resulting traffic will drive up sales for Kakashi Spirit News. Gensokyo benefits, I benefit, and you get what you want. That good enough?”

 _Really? That’s why she never reported on Eientei, to_ **_help_ ** _us stay under the radar?_

“…Let her go Shin.”

“You sure?” the inchling asks.

“Yeah.” Once Hatate stands back up and finishes wiping the muck of her skirt, Seija asks, “When did you start keeping tabs on us?”

“Almost overloading a nuclear reactor would alert any competent reporter,” Hatate explains. “Your plan was executed, exposed, and foiled the same day, so both Aya and I were left picking up the pieces of what happened and putting it in our papers. Then we were pressured to leave out details regarding the Komeijis’ involvement-”

_Satori likely didn’t want Koishi’s role in that to become widespread knowledge._

“-which left a bad taste in my mouth. I’ll be the first to admit I’d rather lounge around then break my back trying to figure out what others like Yukari, Satori, or Reimu are thinking, but I have pride in my work. And since you two were at the center of it last time, I decided to be proactive this go around once you were released from Former Hell community service. Gotta admit, you waste no time getting to work.”

Shin cannot help but chuckle hearing that. “Can’t let one loss keep us down.”

“I honestly admire the level of determination both of you show, shame you’re usually so destructive with it.”

“Do you even know who you’re talking to?” Seija says, placing a hand on her hip.

“Yeah, an amanojaku and an inchling maintaining and even thriving in a partnership. Can you blame me for wondering if it’s possible for you to change?”

A spark flashes in Seija’s mind. In Hatate’s place, she sees an exhausted half-phantom who struggles to stay on her feet. Instead of a forest, they stand on a raised metal grate with orange light glowing beneath them.

_“Amanojaku aren’t meant to be liked or appreciated!”_

_“You get along well with Shin despite your words… If you finally have someone to call a partner, why do all of this?”_

The memory passes. Looking at Hatate square in the eye, Seija declares, “You just don’t get it. You don’t see the world the way we do.”

“Guess not,” says the reporter with a shrug. “Regardless, at least this time, your efforts are directed at a target I can agree needs to be knocked down some pegs. But I don’t think Eientei should be harmed either. Their medicine is a major boon to many who live here.”

“Did you know we’d be there or was that a coincidence?”

“Thoughtography is reactive, not proactive. I can use it to get random snippets of your day-to-day lives, but that’s not much. Plus I’m limited by being unable to hear what you’re saying, only vague notions of intention. I found out you were behind the dango festival mishap and about your scuffle with Sekibanki’s gang, but that didn’t give me anything to work with. Then you happened to be at Eientei at the same time I was doing some obligatory field work and I got a lead.”

“So you got lucky.”

“True enough. From there the pieces fell into place. I overheard that Mokou was covering for you and I know you have a sample of the Ultramarine Orb Elixir in your castle. I found out soon after that the last time the elixir was used was to combat the Lunarians, which means that’s what you intend-”

“Wait, hold on. What are you talking about? We had no idea what it was used for, we just took the thing cause it looked important and potentially useful. Marisa’s explanation is when we found out what it did, same as you.”

Hatate tilts her head. “Really? But that doesn’t add up at all. If the Lunar Capital is your objective, why else would you infiltrate Eientei but to steal the best means of fighting Lunarians?”

Shin, whose arms have been crossed for a while as she thinks, speaks up and says, “There’s a misunderstanding here. We went to Eientei to get information, the elixir was a happy accident.”

_This idiot reporter was right for the wrong reasons._

“We need to figure out how to _get_ to the stupid place,” says Seija. “Our entire reason for the Eientei raid was to find out how to do that.”

“Back up for a second.” Shin rests her head on her left hand. “What _was_ your full reasoning for thinking we were going to the Moon?”

“The fact you were at Eientei is what first gave me the idea. Next I researched the elixir and uncovered its intended purpose, which firmly planted the idea in my head. Putting ‘Lunar Capital’ into my camera as a key phrase along with your names produced results and showed the two of you having what appeared to be serious discussions, so I knew it was a topic you were thinking about. That was when I was certain. The fact you were so worried about me not publishing an article about Eientei also reinforced your desire to avoid premature exposure.”

“A logical misstep that let you reach the truth,” Seija says with a twisted smirk. “A contradiction in deduction if I’ve ever heard one.”

“Fitting given the subject matter,” Hatate admits.

“This is making my head hurt,” says Shin.

All three stand in a circle, unsure what to cover next. Seija is about to ask another question when they hear a distant _BOOM_.

_Huh?_

“FIRE! THERE’S A FIRE!” a voice shouts.

_What?!_

They run back to the stalls to see smoke rising from behind the stage. Over a hundred humans and Youkai are in the area, so the resulting hysteria creates congestion in foot traffic. Seija spies Nitori forging a path through the panicking crowd with a crew of four kappa.

_Someone who can summon and control water can handle a-_

The smoke behind the stage is replaced with a full-on eruption of flame. It has not reached the stage or concert grounds yet, but is spreading fast in all directions. A small forest’s worth of kindling could keep it going for many hours.

_This isn’t our problem, we need to get out of here!_

“Shin, let’s-” When Seija turns to Shin, she sees a horrified expression on the inchling’s face. The amanojaku grits her teeth.

_She’s been wanting to see this with me so badly…_

“Grr… AGH!” Seija yells before she files straight up.

“Where are you going?!” asks a shocked Shin.

“To help stop this fire! Now get to safety!”

Seija does not wait for a response. She finds Nitori’s group near the stage’s right side, shooting huge streams of water to slow the blaze’s spread.

_They’re undermanned. If they hold position then the fire might not reach the stage, but it could spread to the stalls and entrap any humans still stuck here. Not to mention the rest of the forest behind it all. Whichever way it goes, the concert will be canceled._

The stage’s main platform is adjacent to what is best described as a large tent in the back. Stairs connect them but a performer would not be visible from behind or above the tent. Seija notes a large burnt hole in the back side.

_Are the Prismriver Ensemble and Choujuu Gigaku still in there? They need to get out!_

She flies down, avoiding the kappa’s line of sight, and peeks into the tent. Mokou lies on the ground, the front of her body and especially face scuffed and lightly burned. Merlin Prismriver is currently on her knees tending to the immortal. The musician wears a short-sleeved black shirt with black pants that reach her shins and heeled boots, a leather overskirt surrounding the sides and back of said pants. Her light blue hair is tied back with a tuft loose over the right side of her head. There are noticeable skid marks on the ground that line up with Mokou’s likely trajectory and a dent in the metal framing behind them that is part of the stage.

_What happened to her…? Ugh, now’s not the time!_

“Yo, musicians!” Seija shouts, letting herself be seen. “There’s a fire, get out of here!”

“Who are you?” Merlin asks.

“This really isn’t the best time for questions!”

“I’m the only one here! My sisters and Raiko went to help evacuate people while Kyouko and Mystia are fighting the fire!”

_The hell’s a pair of musicians gonna do?_

“Alright. If you need to, don’t feel bad about leaving that woman behind. She’s got a knack for surviving things.”

Seija does not stick around to answer more of Merlin’s questions. However, the fire has yet to spread as far as she expected it would. That is when she notices bluish transparent barriers forming on all sides.

_I’ve seen these before… Kyouko’s sound reflection! Sound travels along the air, so if she’s able to block sound, she can also limit airflow! It’s not a true vacuum, but that will help starve the fire!_

In the sky above the fire is Kyouko, in her Choujuu Gigaku leather jacket and shades, focusing to maintain the barrier. Every time a lick of flame escapes her area of coverage, she expands it to compensate. Smoke rising from the fire is also lessened by the barrier, but the sheer amount lets some leak out, resulting in her frequently coughing.

_She can’t keep that up forever, though. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be to stop._

Another pair of trees alights on the left side.

“Fan out and support Kyouko!” Nitori shouts from nearby. “Anything that gets out of her range is our prime responsibility! That way the fire can burn itself out!”

_They’re fighting a defensive battle. What can I do from here?_

Seija takes a moment to reconsider. She sees kappa scrambling to shoot water, Kyouko up above, and even other Youkai like Mamizou and Reisen showing up with buckets of water, the former directing a swarm of tanuki to do the same. After that is Mystia, who is commanding random assortments of birds and insects to work together and bring yet more water.

_Starving the fire’s a good idea, but whatever started it definitely has a lot of fuel to burn judging by the temperature. That’s the main source of heat and killing it will help snuff out the rest. Depending on how rooted it is…_

“There you are!” Shin calls out. Seija turns and finds her partner and Hatate touching down next to her. “We can do this together, do you have a plan?”

“…You’re right, sorry. And I do. You two go find Nitori and tell her to prepare a massive burst of water directed where Kyouko is. Hatate’s credibility should help. Shin, try to amplify Nitori’s burst with your mallet.”

Shin nods. “I won’t be able to safely maintain that for long, so whatever you do make sure it’s fast.”

“You’ll know when it’s time to shoot. I’m gonna overturn the source!” says Seija, making pointing gestures with her hands.

“Honestly didn’t expect to fight a fire with an amanojaku anytime in my life,” Hatate muses.

Everyone springs into action. Rocketing upward, Seija goes next to Kyouko and says, “We have a plan to kill this blaze! Get out of the way when I say to!”

Under normal circumstances, Kyouko would question what Seija is talking about, but holding this fire back requires immense concentration. All she can offer is an affirming nod.

After taking a deep breath, Seija shouts, “Now! Reverse Sign - Overturning All Under Heaven!” The spell card, in this case, is a misnomer as Seija chooses to affect only a narrow area: the center of the fire and everything in a vertical line above it within a radius of five meters. She and Kyouko back up as various pieces of debris fall. At first only ash and dead branches plummet into the sky, but a moment later a dozen barrels meant to hold flammable liquid fall out. One leaks the substance their mostly fireproof exteriors hold and is engulfed such that it is akin to a fireball. Along with those are two boxes of fireworks volatilely sparking. Once all these containers are clearly in sight, a gigantic stream of water shoots from Nitori’s position; Seija can make out Shin and her glowing Miracle Mallet next to the kappa. The blast drenches every container, putting out their flames and sparks while killing any chance of them igniting again. The roughly seventy degree angle Nitori shot her attack at combines with the reversed gravity of Seija’s spell card, making much of the water spurt out in various directions. While it does not cover everything, it douses much of the fire.

_Perfect! That one barrel leaked and somehow the fireworks were set off, causing a chain reaction in the woods. Those other eleven barrels were still fine but half-melted; if they had given out this would’ve gotten way out of hand._

This joint effort makes Seija’s presence known to the other Youkai present, as her hat was lost in the aftermath of her spell card. Even from a distance, she can see Reisen’s mixture of confusion and annoyance as well as Mamizou’s indulgent chuckling.

_Can’t believe I just did a public service. Disgusting._

However, the fire is not dead yet. Everyone prepares to continue their efforts, however Seija notices a red light emitting from the area where the boxes were.

_I’ve seen that shade of red recently… No way!_

A red laser blasts out of the forest, past Seija and Kyouko. The sun finished setting while the fire-fighting was progressing, so the laser lights up the night sky. Seconds later, a small and localized bundle of clouds form and it begins raining over the fire. That rain combined with the continued efforts of everyone finally ends the blaze. Seija and Kyouko fly down to meet their respective groups.

Nitori approaches Seija and says, “I don’t know why _you_ chose to help us, but thanks.”

“Save it,” the amanojaku responds. “I didn’t do it for any of you.”

“Let’s leave well enough alone, dearie,” says Mamizou, her dignified tone betrayed by her disheveled appearance following the ordeal. “Though these aren’t the circumstances I expected to meet you in next.”

“I would’ve been happy not to meet her again at all…” mumbles Reisen, arms crossed and ears droopy.

Shin goes to stand next to her partner. “Mystia took Kyouko to the backstage tent to rest. I overheard them say that they intend to go through with the performance once the rest of the ensemble is back.”

“I sent my crew to inform everyone that the fire’s out,” Nitori explains. “We likely lost a few customers, but it’s not like they paid for tickets anyway. I imagine some of them will find the whole thing, I believe the term is, ‘metal’?”

“Is no one gonna check on the person who saved the day?!” shouts an annoyed voice from within the charred trees. All present look to the source and see Tenshi, her outfit burned in fifty different spots. She, however, is no worse for wear. In her arms is Shion, who is clinging to Tenshi tightly.

“Why were you in there?!” an exasperated Shin asks.

“It’s an interesting stor-”

“We got into a fight which started the fire,” says Mokou, who arrived without anyone noticing.

“This, uh, isn’t quite what I meant by ‘pyrotechnics’ you know,” says Mamizou.

“Oh I didn’t use my abilities near the containers, I’m not an idiot like some people. I went to check on them since it was almost time when I saw those two snooping around. Shorty drew her sword and took a swing, but tripped and hit one of the fireworks boxes.”

Nitori says, “We supplied the band with twelve barrels of lighter fluid for the stage’s built-in sparklers, which Mokou would light, and three boxes of fireworks for the end of the performance.”

“But only two boxes came out with the barrels earlier,” Seija responds.

“Then you see the problem,” Mokou continues. “When her sword hit the box, it sparked. She had opened it while she was messing around and that spark lit some fuses. We tried to stop them, but then all the fireworks in it exploded outright.” 

“Those fireworks all have fail-safes!” Nitori counters. “You’re telling an entire box’s worth exploded prematurely? The odds of that happening are astronomically low-”

Shion sneezes. Seija, Shin, Hatate, Nitori, Reisen, Mamizou, _and_ Mokou all stare directly at the poverty god Tenshi carries. The celestial mouths, “Don’t you dare.”

“Anyway…” says Mokou after multiple agonizing seconds, “the box explosion happened right in my face. Specifically, one firework got loose and _hit me_ in the face. It both dazed and knocked me back quite a ways. If that had hit someone more fragile, they’d have been down for the count a while.”

_Explains why she was sprawled out in the tent earlier._

Tenshi walks over and sets Shion down. “As for me, the explosion launched me into one of those liquid holding things. My sword was still active and pierced it.”

_Which, of course, is also obscenely unlucky._

“So much for the planned fireworks show and all the fuel for the pyrotechnic devices. Only the fog machine can be used now,” says Nitori. “And _of course_ Raiko was our first customer to actually buy the insurance package…”

Reisen says, “Can’t Mokou still-”

“Consider me retired after this disaster,” Mokou interrupts.

“After that,” Tenshi continues, “sparks were flying from the fireworks and one touched the fluid, igniting the grass and soon everything else. Shion and I were stuck in the fire. If it was just me I could withstand it enough to get out and experience minimal pain, but Shion doesn’t have that luxury.”

Mamizou pushes up her glasses. “A god, even one of poverty, wouldn’t die from that. But at the same time, the experience certainly sounds less than pleasant.”

“So you stayed behind and covered her?” Hatate asks.

“Pretty much. I was preoccupied making sure she didn’t catch fire herself. Once the huge flame next to us was clear, it was safe to uncover her long enough to change the weather.”

“T-thank you so much…” Shion trails off.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. What’s a celestial if not someone who can handle anything?!” Tenshi declares with pride while puffing out her chest. Shion goes starry-eyed while everyone else’s eyes glaze over. The mystery is solved so the group splits off and starts shuffling back to the front of the stage. Mamizou, Mokou, and the duo all go in the same direction.

“I’m curious about something,” Shin says, scuttling next to bake-danuki. “Why did you ask Mokou to help with the concert? And why are you here to begin with?”

“Kyouko lives and works at Myouren Temple, which I frequent,” says Mamizou. She takes a puff of her pipe. “Byakuren doesn’t approve of her moonlighting as a vocalist, but leaving her alone doesn’t feel right. The dear’s a nice girl who’s usually rather timid. Seems wrong to deny her the ability to let off stress and bring some joy to others, even if I don’t really get it. So I took the unilateral measure of approaching Raiko about the idea of them teaming up.”

“ _You’re_ the reason this collaboration happened?!”

Mamizou holds a finger to her mouth and winks. “Not so loud, dearie. The Prismriver Ensemble is a respectable group. If Kyouko is working with them, even if the style is still a bit ‘punkish,’ that reflects well on her and adds legitimacy to her hobby. Raiko was interested since Kyouko and Mystia already have an underground following. Once I offered Mokou’s services and some help with procuring outside world music technology, she was sold.”

“I’m not a bargaining chip,” Mokou mumbles in front of them.

Mamizou whispers so only Shin and Seija can hear, “I knew Sumireko would be all over this concert if she heard about it. She helps Mokou see the joy in things more and Mokou looks out for her in turn, almost like sisters. And I have a feeling that shut-in might enjoy the show.”

_So Raiko isn’t taking advantage of them, it’s all in good faith. Boooooooooooring._

“You’re way too nice for a ‘trickster,’” Seija says mockingly.

“Try not to lose all the good will you gained earlier so fast,” says Mamizou with a sly grin. “That good will could help you pull the rug out from under everyone later.”

“Giving me advice now?”

“Just saying what I would do in your position, dearie. Take it as you will.” With that she waves goodbye and fades into the reforming crowd.

Nearly everyone who was evacuated slowly pours back in, including Kosuzu and Akyuu; both are too far away to notice Seija, however. A few people do give her a weird look, be they Youkai who have read the paper or the occasional human who notices her horns, but no one bothers her.

 _This feels_ **_so_ ** _wrong._

“There you are Mokou!” Sumireko rushes to the immortal. “I was being interviewed but then Seija showed up and then I was alone but then I had to evacuate because of the fire and-”

Mokou places her right hand on Sumireko’s shoulder. “Calm down, Sumi. I’ll explain what happened later. Let’s get closer to the stage, yeah?”

“Oh, sure!”

They go to the front of the stage, though Mokou makes a thumbs-up with a hand behind her back as they walk away.

_That supposed to be a thank you?_

“Well, you helped save the concert,” says Shin. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’m gonna puke since I just did what many perceive as a good deed,” Seija replies, legitimately sickened.

“Then why did you do it?”

“I’m sure you can figure it out.”

Shin tilts her head but then comes to a realization. She immediately hugs her partner. The amanojaku stands stiff but eventually puts a hand on the back of the shorter girl’s head. Her feeling of disgust in the pit of her stomach is replaced by a different yet familiar sensation.

_Still not sure what to call this feeling…_

Around them, the crowd starts cheering when Choujuu Gigaku and the Prismriver Ensemble step out from backstage; the stage lights up via the spotlights built into it and the fog machine activates to make their entrance dramatic. The three sisters all carry electronic instruments to pair with their signature ones floating above them: Lunasa holds a bass guitar, Merlin wields an electronic wind instrument, also referred to as an EWI, and Lyrica brandishes a keytar. 

_Never seen those instruments before. Is that what Mamizou meant by ‘outside world music technology’? The thing Lunasa’s holding does remind me a bit of the weird guitar Mystia has._

All six Youkai are wearing punk-style clothing, with Kyouko and Mystia decked out in their signature full-body leather jackets and black shades. Seija already saw Merlin’s themed outfit, but examines Lunasa and Lyrica’s for the first time. Lunasa wears a graphic t-shirt, open leather jacket, a plaid red skirt with a chain on her left side and matching miniature top hat, black leggings with intersecting white lines, and black laced boots. Lyrica’s outfit consists of a black brimmed hat, closed leather jacket, fingerless gloves, shorts with a chain on her right side, knee-high socks, and ankle-high black shoes.

“HOW IS EVERYONE TONIGHT?!” Raiko yells into a microphone. Her costume includes a black collared button-up with a square maroon tie, leather pants with black straps, studded bracelets, and black laced boots similar to Lunasa’s. “All of us up here want to express our sincerest gratitude to you all for sticking around after that unfortunate accident. Thanks to the brave efforts of various volunteers as well as your own Choujuu Gigaku,” she pauses to allow the audience to cheer, “the fire’s been safely put out! The show must go on and you better be ready, cause our music will melt this place down faster than any blaze! However, while I apparently have a reputation as something of a spotlight stealer,” a few audience members, and even Merlin and Lyrica on stage, laugh, “I’m not the star tonight. This collaboration is meant to celebrate a synthesis of our two groups and the beauty apparent in any musical style!” The crowd applauds. “Kyouko has a few words for you as well.”

The yamabiko takes Raiko’s place at the microphone as the latter moves to a black drum set behind them. She adjusts her shades and says, “I hope you don’t mind the lack of a light show tonight, but honestly I don’t think we need it. Choujuu Gigaku was founded as a down-to-earth duo that lets anyone who listens bear their soul, isn’t that right?!” The audience shouts in agreement. “Normally I’m the only one singing, but thanks to Lyrica’s abilities, Mystia will be able to sing with me tonight!” There are murmurs in the crowd among those who know what Mystia’s singing can do. “She’s been wanting to sing for you a long time, so please give her a chance! The six of us have practiced together before and can guarantee there aren’t any adverse side effects… ASIDE FROM ROCKING OUT! ARE YOU ALL READY?!” The sheer volume and energy emanating from Kyouko alleviates the crowd’s worry instantly. Even Seija feels a degree of excitement. “PLAY US OFF, RAIKO!”

“ONE, TWO, _ONE TWO THREE FOUR!_ ” Raiko yells in time with clicking her drumsticks.

They start off with a song that is intense right from the outset, with a fierce drum beat and all six instruments the Prismrivers are playing going wild. Once the intro is over, Kyouko and Mystia start singing, the latter also joining the others with her guitar; their lyrics mirror each other in a call and response fashion:

“EVERY DAY IT HAPPENS!”

“NO ONE CARES FOR OUR PASSIONS!”

“LOOKED DOWN ON YET AGAIN!”

“WE ASK OURSELVES, WHAT THEN?!”

“OUR LIVES ARE OURS TO LIVE!”

“AND THIS IS WHAT WE’LL GIVE!”

“WE’LL BEAR OUR VERY SOULS!”

“WE’LL DECIDE OUR OWN ROLES!”

Right on cue with the music, Nitori flies over the crowd and drops dozens of glow sticks for people to hold. Shin snags one, though she has to hop to even see the band from within the crowd.

“Shrink yourself down, I’ve got an idea,” Seija yells, as that is the only way Shin can hear her.

“Alright!”

Once she is inchling-sized, Seija picks Shin up and places her partner on her shoulder. “Better?”

“Absolutely!” Shin holds the glow stick, which is now as tall as she is, above her head and waves it. Seija ensures she does not fall over. Both of them really get into the show after that. In front of them, Seija makes out Mokou waving her own glow stick with passion.

“WE’LL ALWAYS KEEP ON RUNNIN’!” Kyouko belts out.

“THEY’LL ALL SEE WE’RE STUNNIN’!” sings Mystia.

“OUR EXISTENCE _WILL_ MATTER!”

“EXPECTATIONS WE WILL SHATTER!”

Kyouko shouts, “CAN YOU HEAR US GENSOKYO?!”

The audience erupts in a unified cheer while Mamizou smiles from within the trees. Everyone there raises a hand in the air, from Reisen to Sumireko and Mokou to Seija and Shin. Shion is happy to be there while Tenshi admits to herself there might be merit to the surface’s music after all. Even the normally reserved Akyuu is able to cut loose along with Kosuzu. For the next three hours, all that exists in this portion of Gensokyo is music.

* * *

“My head’s ringing…” says Seija, sprawled out next to her and Shin’s dining table minutes after getting back to the castle.

“Isn’t it a great feeling?!” the inchling responds.

“Heh. Glad you enjoyed the show.”

“Same to you. I still can’t believe we got the bands’ autographs for helping with the fire!” Shin cheers, clutching the frame she has already put the signed parchment in. All six signatures from Choujuu Gigaku and the Prismriver Ensemble are scrawled on it.

“Quite the fangirl over here.”

“Just imagine I’m Sagume and you can be the same.”

“Urgh…”

“But really,” says Shin, turning to Seija, “thank you. You helping with the fire for my sake, despite how much you hate helping others, means more than I can express.”

“You don’t have to remind me.”

_I still feel awful I did something like that, yet Shin being this happy actually manages to outweigh that somehow. Honestly not sure why I feel that way. Shin’s my partner, sure, but this is extremely unlike me._

“Seija, I, um…” Shin trails off, as though she is building up the courage to say something.

“Yeah?”

“…I, er, uh, did you wanna open that letter Hatate gave you before we left?”

“Oh, sure,” says Seija. She whips out a folded piece of paper and reads aloud the contents. “‘I didn’t want to kill the mood, so I figured this was the best way to follow-up. You mentioned that your main roadblock was a way to reach the Lunar Capital. I’m not too privy on the details myself, but I know the Hell fairy Clownpiece was involved in the last invasion somehow. Back when I investigated that incident, Marisa mentioned meeting Clownpiece on the Moon. She currently lives under Hakurei Shrine if you want to find her. Good luck, you’ll need it.’”

“I remember her, she was one of the Youkai I enlisted for the fireworks festival plan.”

_That squirt has a lot of potential for chaos with her torch. If she has experience getting to the moon, we can make good use of her._

Seija keeps reading the paper. “There’s more. ‘P. S. - Aya was snooping around tonight. She definitely knows that you two got involved with putting out the fire and might speculate that you're up to something, so be on the lookout for that.’”

“Of course she was,” says Shin. “Still, I’m surprised with how things turned out with Hatate. Her articles have always been more progressive than Aya’s, but this is going far with who she’s willing to work with. If her connection to us is exposed, she could end up in major trouble.”

“I’m sure she knows that,” Seija replies. “And _she_ knows that _we_ know that. Likely part of her plan to make us believe she won’t rat us out.”

“Well? Do you believe that?”

“For the moment. We can deal with her if she turns out to be a problem, but I won’t turn down tips from someone with access to the tengu's information network.”

The anticipation on Shin’s face is palpable. “This is getting big. If we can pull this off…”

“Yep. This past week’s been eventful, but break time’s over! Tomorrow, we restart our efforts!” Seija orders, holding out a fist.

Shin meets that fist with her own. “And no one can stop us!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE thanks to @R_Cansuke_MS on Twitter for knocking it out of the park with the art as always, even designing full punk rock outfits for Raiko and the Prismrivers (which certainly helped me when I had to describe them)! Please do consider commissioning Cansuke via Skeb if you're so inclined: https://skeb.jp/@R_cansuke_MS
> 
> EDIT - February 15th, 2021: It has come to my attention that every commission I've gotten for this story has a bonus drawing hidden in the .psd file (as I don't have Photoshop, I never realized). All of them are amazing and have been added to their respective chapters (1, 4, 5, and 7), so please check them out (you may need to open this chapter's in a new tab to see it better). There will be a note of this in Chapter 8 for those who don't see this update.
> 
> So I wanted the chapter to come out a week ago, but the art for this chapter took a bit longer to finish than anticipated (understandably so, I cannot overstate how good of a job the artist did). Up to now I’ve been retroactively adding art to chapters since I didn’t originally intend to include this much and had to play catch up. Now that all the chapters I wanted to have some do, I commissioned this one proactively. I personally feel it was worth the wait, however I apologize for erroneously stating in a reply to a comment on the previous chapter that this would release sooner.
> 
> Starting from the top, I enjoyed having Seija experience the same awakening twice with slight variation. It’s neat changing the wording just a bit to show the differences in the mood of the scenes and the intentions of the two Shins. Doremy’s smugness is always fun to write as well. The concert and events surrounding it make up the bulk of this chapter, though, and are the main things I want to discuss. I viewed this event as a roll call of sorts; at least one major player from every chapter except the second appeared and was involved in the fire-fighting. As this chapter marks a turning point in the story’s progression, I thought it fitting. Sumireko’s role was smaller than I originally planned. Hatate being supportive of Seija and Shin’s mission has been planned for a while, but at first I was considering having Sumireko involved in that conversation as well. But I felt it didn’t make much sense in-story for the other three to include her, so I axed that angle. Hatate I found harder to write than some other characters due to less screen time in canon. She was a shut-in who started doing fieldwork more thanks to Aya’s influence and writes articles with a refreshing viewpoint, comparatively speaking. She also has a more casual attitude. Between all these factors I thought she could believably decide to support the duo in their plan, even if she wrote an article about the potential danger Seija poses in the past (see Alternative Facts in Eastern Utopia). While none of the musicians got a ton of individual screen time or characterization, I hope they were still interesting to see. Raiko, like Sumireko, was gonna have a more direct role at first, but I couldn’t organically fit it in with the direction the story was going. She at least got her own speech. Her influence has definitely been felt this and last chapter; it’s a case where a background character impacts events that affect the main cast. The concert was always meant to be more about Seija and Shin’s relationship than anything else, after all. I was happy with how Mamizou got to return in a subtle but important way as the orchestrator of it all. If there’s one thing she consistently proves in her numerous print work appearances, it’s that despite her ambition and mischievous acts, she’s a good person (or bake-danuki as the case may be). She’s shown to care about Kosuzu by the end of Forbidden Scrollery and was depicted subtly *blushing* in the most sincere way imaginable in a recent chapter of Lotus Eaters when Miyoi, the manga’s protagonist, whole-heartedly thanked her for something (the panel is legitimately one of my favorites in any Touhou media, it’s at the end of Chapter 12 of LE for reference). But enough of my side tangent. I hope the lyrics Kyouko and Mystia sing aren't too strange; I wouldn't call myself a lyricist and there isn't an audio reference to go with this. I mainly shot for something I felt fit the theme of the band and story as a whole. Oh, and in case anyone isn't aware, Akyuu is a self-admitted fan of Choujuu Gigaku (as noted in Part 3 of Symposium of Post-Mysticism) so I absolutely had to include her, and by extension Kosuzu. Overall I’m happy with this chapter and hope readers feel the same. Comments and feedback are extremely appreciated and I’m happy to answer any questions in the comments as well. Thank you so much for reading and have a fantastic day/night!
> 
> P. S. - Chapter 8 won’t be for a little bit due to a brief foray into a different story I have planned. I have a feeling those familiar with my other Touhou work might be interested in it.


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